


Thirty One Stars And I'll Catch Them All

by Bass_Line



Category: Seven Kingdoms: The Princess Problem (Visual Novel)
Genre: 7KPP Prompt Fill, All 31 stars caught!, Any applicable archive warnings will be indicated in the respective chapter, Chapter 24 mentions rape and abuse so avoid it if it makes you uncomfortable, F/F, F/M, Hong will definitely smile as the fire roars while burning romance novels, Just a bunch of shorts per chapter, Lyon looks like he'll have silky hair even though he doesn't care about it, Time to give Lisle a characterisation that's horribly wrong, Ultimate move: Board flipping, While we're at it let's make Gisette's characterisation wrong too yay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:27:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 21,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23328505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bass_Line/pseuds/Bass_Line
Summary: This story is a series of shorts (hopefully all 31 of them hence the title) based on prompts from fyeah7kpp on Tumblr.
Relationships: Arland Princess & Emmett, Arland Princess/Zarad, Clarmont/Hise Pirate, Gisette/Jiyel Scholar, Hise Pirate & Hamin, Jiyel Scholar & Lyon, Lyon/Wellin Countess, Revaire Widow & Lisle, Revaire Widow & Penelope, Wellin Countess & Jiyel Scholar
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. Night (Arland Princess/Zarad)

**Author's Note:**

> firetan already said it in their own prompt fill 'hold your breath (and count the days)', but I'm just going to repeat that fyeah7kpp on Tumblr is providing prompts for 31 days. So whether you need a distraction from the situation affecting the world or just something to kickstart your creativity fluids, the prompts are a great way to de-stress!

A noble wandering about at the edge of a cliff in the middle of the night was highly improper, and doing so with another was scandalous. Add Princess Rose of Arland into the equation, and all hell would break loose if any traditional noble were to catch them so. She felt awfully bad for not informing Jasper that she would be spending the night with her match, but it was a last minute date that he had planned, and she didn't have the heart to say no.

Who was she kidding? She wouldn't say no even if she could, not since she decided to live life on her own terms and not be bound to duty. The past week had been a whirl of events, from baking inedible cookies that Hamin decided to steal on a whim to plotting Prince Aamir's death with her beloved. She shuddered, Rose could _never_ fully accept that she was the one who wanted to kill dear Constance's husband, no matter how much he deserved such a fate.

"Thinking about your sister again?" Zarad asked, a tinge of concern hidden behind his teasing grin. Rose shook her head, she was much more concerned with the events waiting for her in the remaining two weeks. "Surely not my brother? Why think about him when you have me?"

"What happens if I don't succeed?"

"In living out a life of your own or the day when you'll meet Aamir?"

"... Both, I suppose. Things can go horribly wrong, and I don't wish to become your burden." Rose sighed, what if things _did_ go wrong? The former was not something that she couldn't foresee, at worst her family would disown her and possibly be permanently exiled from Arland. The latter? At best, Aamir would never know who tried to assassinate him and be remembered at a lavish funeral. At worst… Zarad may hang alongside her, and Constance would never be free from her cruel husband. "Zarad, do you ever feel yourself helpless?"

"Sometimes, more than I would like to admit." Zarad admitted, grasping the princess's hand in an attempt to comfort her. He knew he had to be strong, he vowed to be Rose's beacon of hope the moment she decided on her path. Even if it meant dying for her, of course he hoped that their plotting would bear fruit instead of ending at a noose. "When that happens, I'll look up at the night sky and think to myself that my life's like the sky, a canvas for me to fill it with hopes and dreams. I then connect all those stars together, and I'm more determined than ever to actually fill my life with stars."

"... I think I now understand why you like stargazing so much." Rose breathed, looking up at the vast night sky above her. The sky was devoid of stars that night, but she didn't mind. To her, it opened numerous possibilities, some of which included Zarad. A chill went up her spine, the night growing colder with every passing second. "I should go before Jasper discovers that I'm not sleeping."

"Allow me to escort you back then, it's the least a gentleman could do."

" _You_?! Zarad, please don't make me laugh. I fear that I wouldn't be able to stop otherwise."

"We'll see each other again, for matters more serious than our date tonight." Rose knew what Zarad meant, he still hadn't broached the topic about her nearly getting crushed to death by a piano. Even after the play, he simply danced around the topic. She didn't hold it against him, the summit was still a dangerous place for such matters to be discussed so openly. Zarad extended a hand out to the princess, his warm smile a contrast against the cold night. "Shall we, my dear?"

"... I just hope Jasper's still asleep, I don't need another lecture from him about wandering at night..."


	2. Soar (Revaire Widow)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please note that the archive warning of major character death applies to this chapter.

When Willow was younger, she had dreamed of flying. Soaring above the old castles and the Revaire snow, that was her dream. When she grew up, she understood that she wouldn't be able to fly during her lifetime. Technology just wasn't advanced enough for that.

Never did she expect her dream to come true at the summit, with a horrifying twist. Something was wrong with her horse, but the stable boy insisted that the horse was fine. Maybe it was an assassination attempt, maybe it was sheer ill luck, Willow would never know as her horse galloped off the cliff's edge, sending them soaring over the crashing waves below.

Usually people would scream for dear life, tricking themselves to believe that fate was on their side. Willow, however, neither screamed nor panicked. The moment she soared, she _knew_ , knew that she wouldn't be ending her ride with that strangely fragrant tea Jasper would brew for her. Was she unnatural, she wondered. She could clearly hear the thunderous gallop from a horse behind her, as well as Hamin yelling her name in vain.

She felt herself no longer soaring in the way she would've liked, instead shooting straight down to the tides below. It was fine, she thought. At least her childhood dream was fulfilled, she reasoned to herself. At least she got to fly, even though it was ironically to her demise.

Her only regret was that she would never be able to provide a more comfortable life for her younger sisters, instead leaving them to settle their parents' extravagant debts.

That was the last thing she wished she could've done, before the sea engulfed her and her regret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it wasn't clear, this is set during Week 2's group horse ride on Challenger mode (which I've never played on).


	3. Breathe (Penelope)

She couldn't breathe as she was surrounded by numerous delegates, all from nations apart from hers. Her brother was forced to interact with other delegates so as to uphold his reputation as the perfect prince. Not that she would cling to him for the rest of the summit, even she knew that she had to be independent from time to time.

She hoped to breathe easier when interacting with her fellow Wellin delegates, but the female delegates wasted no time grilling the poor princess for tips to woo the perfect prince, while the male delegates tried hitting on her seconds into their already uncomfortable conversations. Only with one Wellin delegate did she manage to breathe easy, even going as far as to make her laugh.

"I'm glad that you're here at the summit your highness, even though I might be a bit… shall we say improper?"

"Don't say that Countess! I'm also glad that you're here, how we were brought up is by far the least of my concerns!" The countess grinned bashfully, not expecting a compliment from someone who supposedly upheld noble values (whatever _those_ were). A brief curtsy, and the countess was off to mingle with other delegates.

"Where do you think you're going?" A figure loomed over the Wellin princess, cold grey eyes glaring down at her. Of all the possible delegates to be cornered by, it had to be the Revaire prince. She could feel herself once again unable to breathe, her only defence was to remain poised while hoping that he left her alone soon enough. "Look at me when I'm speaking to you!"

"M-My sincerest apologies, Prince Jarrod." It took all the courage she could muster as she sunk into a low curtsy, hoping her apology was enough to cool his anger. Unfortunately for her, his anger was stoked and was about to roar again at the Wellin princess. She shut her eyes tight, bracing for another monstrous yell directed towards her.

"Princess! Come chat with me!" Before she knew it, the Countess of Holt had a firm grip on her hand and was safely dragged to a corner of the ballroom. The Revaire prince stood in place, shocked by the countess's boldness despite the full knowledge that _he_ was speaking to the princess. "Penelope, are you okay?"

"I-I'm…"

"Oh, sorry! You're more noble than me, should've addressed you properly." The countess rubbed the back of her neck, shooting the now incensed Jarrod a sharp glare. Penelope shook her head furiously, simply grateful for the save.

"Penelope is fine, thank you for your kindness. I'm terribly sorry, but I think I would like to get some fresh air. Please excuse me."

The princess curtsied, exiting the ballroom as quickly as possible while doing her best to make a dignified exit. Once she was safely out of the ballroom, she sighed. She was starting to be able to breathe again, she was finally away from the delegates and the expectations for her. She knew that she should be able to breathe better, especially since she would be surrounded in a politically tense climate for seven weeks. As much as she dreaded the seven weeks, knowing that the countess was there to help her to breathe again comforted her.

_'Maybe I can make it through this summit after all.'_


	4. Shadow (Revaire Widow & Lisle)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It doesn't happen in the route, but this would be set around the start of Week 6 since all three canon dates with Lisle are briefly mentioned. Oh, and while the Revaire widow has the same name as the Revaire widow in Chapter 2, they're completely different timelines. (For starters, Willow can't come back from the dead and be with Lisle...)

Lisle sighed as stacks of documents loomed over him, casting shadows that reminded him of the sheer amount of work he needed to complete. Penelope was kind enough to lend him her room to keep delegates at bay. Drowsiness took a hold over him as he rested his head on his arms, taking care to not scatter the documents. He reasoned that he could afford to take a short nap, hoping that he didn't fill his day with any engagements.

When he woke up, he didn't expect a shadow to hover above him. Startled, he hurriedly raised his head, nearly hitting a figure in the process. A gentle chuckle was heard, and Lisle breathed a sigh of relief. For a second, he thought that he was receiving more documents.

"Lady Willow, I'm ashamed to admit that you've startled me so." The woman in front of him quirked an eyebrow in amusement, not believing his claim that he was ashamed. Lisle managed a friendly grin as he ran a hand through his perfectly combed hair, stressed from his workload. "Did we have an arrangement today?"

"Not at all, I was actually searching for Penelope as I've invited her for tea today. I came here as she didn't give me any reply, which made me fear for the worst."

"I've a feeling that your invite might be lost among these documents, she has been lending her room to me for quite a while now." Lisle gestured to the stacks, a wry smile tugging on his lips as the Revaire delegate cringed at the sheer workload. "Unfortunately, she has another engagement. However, if you don't mind, I would be honoured to be your partner for tea this afternoon."

"You could've just said that you needed a break from that." The woman chuckled once more, briefly glancing at a document on the very top of the stack closest to her. "I can never understand how you manage to read such awful handwriting."

"After our marriage, I'll expect you to read the documents for me while I sign."

"Your highness, please. Don't ruin our happy marriage with illegible handwriting.

"... Actually, I've been meaning to ask you about our marriage." Lisle started, his tone becoming more serious as he led Willow into deeper waters. While he knew that Willow understood his situation and had agreed to be with him for the rest of her life, he couldn't help asking her if that was really the life she wanted. He felt guilty, he had asked the same question twice beforehand and both times she reassured him, that yes this was the life she wanted.

"Your highness, I assure you that this is what I want. You're a dear friend to me, and I would like to help you in any way I can."

"You can still back out, I wouldn't hold it against you."

"... I'll be frank with you, your highness. The title of becoming queen is something that's highly appealing. Granted, I agreed to marry you because of the company. But… forgive me for my ambition, but becoming Queen of Wellin is something I can't walk away from."

Lisle nodded, usually he detested anyone who tried to form friendships with him solely for reaping the benefits of being friends with someone from royalty. In Willow's case, he couldn't help but respect her motives. He knew her better than most, and he discovered that her near-monstrous pursuit for power was solely for her sisters. She was doing everything she could just to provide them a comfortable life, not an easy feat given that her parents were neck deep in debt.

"I understand. While I don't see eye to eye with your methods, I greatly respect your devotion to your sisters."

"Thank you for your understanding, it truly means a lot to me."

"There's another matter that I wanted to ask since you're here." Lisle noticed the woman flinching, she wasn't prepared for another serious conversation. He cleared his throat, with the latter giving him all her attention. "Right, well… You have given me a gift from Revaire, and I told you that I didn't have anything prepared."

"And like what I've told you, giving me Penelope would suffice."

"No way, joint custody at most." Lisle couldn't help smiling, even though he had a small worry that Willow might actually pursue Penelope while being married to him. That worry was for another day. "Back to the topic at hand, I wasn't sure what you'll like but if you wish, I could prepare some roses for you to place in your room?"

"Oh! There's no need, I… don't associate roses with happy memories."

"Please forgive me, I didn't realise that I was being insensitive." Willow shook her head, not minding the slightest. She had never told him why she hated roses, and she wasn't sure if she should. She decided that he should know the truth, since Lisle had told her the truth that he didn't like women. He deserved it, and it was the least she could offer from her blood-stained hands.

"There's something you should know, and I don't blame you if you decide to end our arrangement." Lisle said nothing, allowing her to speak freely without any interruptions. "I murdered my late husband, not because I wanted to but because that was my only way out."

"You needed the money for your sisters, correct?" Lisle wasn't surprised, everyone knew of the rumours circulating the widow. In fact, it would be more surprising if he _didn't_ know of the rumours. They were just too hard to ignore, even the chaperones discussed them from time to time.

"Not just that. I… I knew that my life with him wouldn't be pleasant as we never loved each other, but… I didn't expect him to harm me during our marriage. He was exactly like Prince Jarrod, apart from age and looks." Willow took a deep breath, she couldn't afford to shed a single tear. Even in front of the man she trusted, she could _never_ afford to cry. "Our anniversary approached, and I was expected to cook for him like how a wife should. I baked him his favourite rose cake, decorated with rose petals. The roses…"

"... They were laced with poison." She nodded, unable to meet Lisle's hazel eyes out of guilt and shame. "And how do you feel?"

Lisle wondered why she trusted someone like him with such a dreadful secret, and why did he express concern for a murderer's well-being. He would never condone murder, but after listening to Willow… he wasn't sure if he could completely stick to his morals. He could tell that the Revaire delegate was sincere, that she only ended a man's life because of the abuse she suffered. He could see the shadow of an old man he had never met looming over her, a haunting memory that she was forced to live with as blood dripped off her hands.

"That day haunts me Lisle, it follows me like it's my shadow. Never letting me forget, reminding me that I'm a murderer." Willow glanced at the shadows growing over Lisle, the sun starting to set while the prince still had work to do. "I'm terribly sorry, I didn't mean to distract you from your work."

"Willow." The delegate in question was about to leave the room when Lisle called out to her. She glanced over her shoulder, waiting for a stony-face Lisle to speak. "I can't dispel your shadows for you, but I sincerely hope that we can dispel Wellin's shadows together. And…"

"Yes, your highness?"

"... Sometimes, we have to do what we have to do. Even if it goes against who we are." He barely heard a murmur of gratitude from Willow, and was soon left with only his stacks of documents.

He sighed, getting up from the shadows cast on him. He went over to Penelope's bed, sitting at the edge as he frowned deeply. Lisle wasn't sure what to feel, his mind told him to be furious that he was planning to marry a murderous widow while his heart pleaded that Willow, no matter her crime, was only doing it out of self-preservation. Lisle certainly couldn't blame a woman for trying to survive, could he? He stared at his work, they reminded him of the horrible choices his friend had to decide prior to the summit.

"Father's right, life _is_ politics. All I can do afterwards is to accept the shadows of my decisions, regardless of the outcome."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going with a slightly ethical Revaire widow who will do literally anything for her sisters, for those who are confused at the characterisation here.


	5. Solid (Arland Princess & Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set in the same timeline as the Arland Princess from Chapter 1, just that it focuses more on Emmett's interaction with her.

"It's been a while since we've eaten together! I hope I'll prove to be good company!" Emmett grinned as he ate his dinner with the company of his kingdom's princess, the latter nodding along to whatever the earl was saying. After a while, he stopped talking. Throughout the dinner, the princess had a frustrated expression on her flawless features. Not only that, Emmett noticed that she avoided eating food that were hard solids. In fact, she drank more than she ate which worried the earl. "Princess, are you sick?"

"Hm? What makes you say that?" Rose asked, deliberately pushing her steak aside and elegantly using her knife to push some mashed potatoes to the back of her fork. Emmett frowned, he didn't recall the princess being a picky eater. Even if she was, the food at the summit was delectable in every way. Only someone like Jarrod would be dissatisfied with the spread found on the isle. "Please, do continue. I believe you mentioned a particular plant found near the cliffs?"

"Is there something wrong? You haven't been touching most of your food." He noticed that she paused for a brief moment before resuming her dinner, a pained look on her face as she consumed the potatoes. She made eye contact with him, sighing heavily as she proceeded to cut the steak into manageable pieces. She then pierced a piece and ate it, her pained expression growing more obvious a split second later. "There _is_ something wrong with you!"

"Please Emmett, lower your voice!" Rose hissed in response, reaching out for her goblet of wine. The earl frowned, that was the princess's fifth goblet and while he had nothing against people who drank in excess, it didn't seem like something the princess was willing to be seen engaging in. "... Alright, fine. There's something wrong with me, but not the kind you're thinking of."

"How long has this been going on?" Rose averted her eyes, choosing to focus on the deep purple wine. "Princess!"

"Do you remember that time you gave me a colourful candy rock from Wellin?" Emmett nodded, he had given the princess a large candy that was in the shape of a ball a few days after he came back from Wellin. That was the last time he saw her, after that she was busy preparing for her duties as a princess while he had to prepare for his stay in Revaire. "Do you remember what you told me back then?"

"I told you to suck on it… I think?"

"Yes, well… I made the mistake of trying it before one of my etiquette lessons. My tutor was extremely strict, and since I wanted to eat it faster…"

"Please don't tell me you bitten it." The princess hung her head in shame, she was only 12 back then. How was she supposed to know that she should've _never_ bitten the candy? "Okay, but how does that link to now?"

"The teeth that were used to bite it might have… cracked?" Emmett gasped, loud enough for others to hear. He blushed as he realised that delegates were staring at him, and mumbled apologies to the princess. "Ever since then, I can no longer enjoy eating solid food."

"... Princess, shouldn't you seek medical assistance for your cracked teeth?"

"I didn't know how to approach my parents about it, I didn't want them to think that I'm no longer the perfect princess that they've raised." Rose admitted, gently pressing a hand to her left cheek. She winced, the pain was still as sharp as it was eight years ago. "I drink wine to numb the pain, it doesn't help much though."

"I doubt that you're able to get help for your teeth on Vail Isle, but I know people in Jiyel that can definitely help!" Emmett replied, with Rose nodding gratefully at the offer. "By the way, does Prince Zarad know about this?"

"If he does, he hasn't said a thing about it."

"Hmm, to be honest… I didn't know that the jawbreaker is hard enough to crack teeth."

"... Well, the name certainly hints that it does." Rose sighed, wishing that she had known of the candy's name back then. She stood up and bowed apologetically, regretting that she had to leave her dinner with Emmett earlier than expected. "My apologies, but I have a prior engagement. Please enjoy your dinner."

"Likewise!" Emmett shot up from his seat, not minding the whispers from the other delegates. He was never one to follow closely to the rules, and neither could he remember them all to begin with. "Have a good evening your highness!"

After a while, Zarad had approached him. He asked the earl about plants that had anaesthetic properties, as well as a list of soft candies that he would recommend to a toddler. Emmett was puzzled, but obliged nonetheless.

It was only after the Corval prince left that he connected the dots, a brotherly smile tugging at Emmett's lips as he went about his activities.


	6. Reunion (Revaire Widow & Lisle)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This happens in the same timeline as Chapter 4, and this is set post-Summit.

Penelope beamed as Willow glanced at her suspiciously, with her fiancé maintaining a polite smile as the three nobles stood outside the castle's entrance, enjoying the peaceful silence the inner courtyard had to offer. Willow wasn't sure why they were waiting outside when they had a busy day ahead of them, but the two royal siblings refused to offer any hints about it.

"We've been out here for at least an hour, surely one of you can tell me who are we waiting for."

"Willow, it has only been five minutes. Ten at most." Lisle replied, with his fiancée grumbling back. He laughed, how long had it been since Willow had allowed her guard down around him and Penelope? Penelope hugged her soon to be sister in law, wanting to provide some comfort for making her wait outside with them. "I can at least tell you that we're welcoming some very important guests."

"You mean for our wedding? I hope you don't mean Grand Duke Woodly, seven weeks at the summit is enough for me to wish to _never_ be in the same room as him again." Penelope nodded understandingly, the Grand Duke's presence had made her uncomfortable on numerous occasions. Lisle said nothing, though both women knew that the prince would prefer to not be in the Grand Duke's company for longer than he needed to be. "Lisle, I haven't seen your parents all day. Are they in the castle?"

"I-" The gates were drawn open, allowing a carriage to enter. Both Penelope and Lisle smiled with anticipation, while Willow hurriedly plastered on a polite smile that gave no indication of her growing curiosity and mild irritation. The carriage soon came to a halt, the coachman soon getting off to open the carriage door for its riders to disembark. "Right on time."

"Willow!" A woman around Penelope's age leapt out of the carriage, practically tackling Willow to the ground had it not been for Lisle steadying her. Willow had a look of surprise as more riders disembarked, all of them resembling the same woman that had nearly tackled her. "I've missed you!"

"Hazel? What are you and your sisters doing here?"

"We've invited them to stay with us until the wedding!" Penelope revealed, a bright smile on her face as four girls ran up to her, expressing interest at the famously kind-hearted Wellin princess. "I wanted to invite your parents too, but Lisle said that your sisters are old enough to be in a foreign country all by themselves!"

"Ah." Willow briefly glanced in Lisle's direction, mouthing her appreciation. Lisle nodded subtly, helping his fiancée to pry her sister off her at her request. After doing so however, he was met with a stern glare from her. "Hazel, please have some manners."

"I'm telepathically sending Prince Perfect death threats right now though."

"Hazel, please don't attempt to threaten the future King of Wellin." Willow sighed, her sister still had her lack of tact even after months since she left Revaire. Lisle chuckled good-naturedly, not minding Hazel's threats. "Why don't you go play with Penny and your sisters?"

"... Fine. But if pretty boy over here thinks that he can cheat on you with a _man_ , I'll single-handedly start a war with Wellin if I have to." With her point being said, she went over to where her sisters were. Willow sighed, turning her attention to a mildly rattled Lisle. She didn't blame him, his sexuality was a heavily guarded secret that only she and Penelope knew.

"She has a knack for… identifying people's romantic preferences. She means no harm, though I _will_ give her a stern lecture about it." Willow groaned, how many times did she warn her sister to keep her 'talent' in check? She was lucky that Lisle was forgiving, though that was because he trusted Willow immensely. Should it be anyone else… well, Willow didn't want to imagine such a moment. "I sincerely apologise on her behalf."

"Thank you for being concerned for my well-being Willow, but I'm fine." Lisle replied, smiling despite the frown Willow was giving him. He meant his words, he was fine at the turn of events. He trusted Willow, and he believed that Hazel wouldn't use it against him unless he disappointed Willow in some way. Which he wouldn't. "I hope this reunion brings you some comfort, I can imagine that it's not easy knowing that you'll be spending your life in a foreign land."

"Lisle, thank you. Especially for not inviting my parents, I really don't want to be reminded of their debts." Willow shook her head, wishing to forget the recent letter she had received from her parents about being in debt again. She really wished that they would stop borrowing money just to maintain an air of nobility, as well to use her name when borrowing. "Shall we go inside? We still have preparations to complete, do we not?"

"Are you sure?"

"My soon-to-be wife is enjoying their company, and the reverse is true." They glanced at Penelope, who was currently playing a game of tag with all five of Willow's sisters. She radiated enough excitement for it to be genuine, which satisfied them both. "So yes, we should continue with the preparations."

"I give up. I can foresee Wellin's meltdown resulting from you marrying us both."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After receiving the review from firetan in Chapter 4 about Willow, I've been attempting to flesh out her profile more and even tried to play her in the extended demo. And honestly? She's a very successful MC much to my surprise.


	7. Chill (Jiyel Scholar/Gisette)

Hong woke up with a start, chills running down her spine as she sat awake in her bed, her face riddled with cold sweat. It had been days since she drank that horrible tea and saved herself from that damn poison. Yet, she had been relieving the moments when she panicked as she neared death's door. A recurring nightmare, as what others would've termed it.

She got up, unable to sleep thanks to relieving moments that she wished to forget. Hong wondered if she was allowed to roam around Vail Isle in the middle of the night, Jasper had strongly encouraged her to stay in her room around this hour after all. She decided to head out anyway, writing a note to her servants should they panic. Not that she doubted Jasper would worry about her whereabouts, he seemed to have a knack for finding her no matter where she went.

Hong decided to head for the cliffs, the place where she had nearly died and the place where Kade provided her with the clue needed to solve Lord Adalric's murder. It was a rather odd place to clear her thoughts, given that it was windy and the last thing she needed was to be colder. She wondered why she was even at the cliffs to begin with, it was the place that Lee had died and she definitely didn't want to be another victim, especially since she evaded death once.

"Hong, what a surprise." Hong didn't expect anyone to be at the cliffs at such an hour, and least expected her sweetheart to be there. She glanced over her shoulder, partly relieved that Gisette was alone and not dragging a dead body of an unknown servant. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I could say the same for you Gisette." Gisette gave her a half smile, approaching her like how a cat freely sauntered in her master's house. "What brings you here?"

"What, can't a girl visit the cliffs once in a while?" Hong gave her a pointed look, it was impossible for Gisette to do something without any meaning behind it. She learnt that first hand, and she was pretty sure that the princess had visited her room during the investigation week for something, just that she didn't know what was it that she wanted. Hong cursed herself, intelligent as she may be, she could never figure out what was going through Gisette's mind. The first tea invitation from her, she could guess. Entering her room without any hidden motives? That was beyond her. "Maybe I just like to feel the breeze and see the stars, can't I do that?"

"Nothing about you is just 'that', Gisette."

"You're right." Gisette replied, far too easily for Hong's liking. Just because she genuinely cared for the Revaire princess didn't mean that she wasn't on her guard, it just meant that she was on her guard less than usual. "I _do_ have a hidden motive tonight."

"What is it?"

"You're just hoping that I'll claim my end of the bargain again if I told you, are you not?" Hong shrugged, she never thought of it that way. Then again, getting kissed a second time by the ice queen wasn't something she would be opposed to. Gisette giggled, like how a girl would when she got the brooch that she had always wanted. "Alright, fine. I'm here on a date."

"With your brother?" Gisette raised an eyebrow, a dangerous gleam in her purple-blue eyes as Hong gave her a sideway glance. "Oh, sorry. Does His Highness not like nightly strolls by the cliffs?"

"My dear, you overestimate my brother." Gisette offered her beloved an amused smile, with Hong grunting in response. "No, I'm on a date with you. An impromptu one, but a date nonetheless."

"I'm honoured, to think I can spend a chilly night at the coldest place with the ice queen herself. What a relief that I _love_ chilly situations."

"... I suppose there are other locations for this." Gisette admitted, reluctant to give Hong the satisfaction of being right. "Hong."

"Yes?"

"I'm fully aware that I'm not… the best person you should show weakness to, but even _I_ enjoy the idea of being your confidant." Hong said nothing, though the slight smile on her face implied that she appreciated the offer. Even though she was never going to take it up, she would never risk allowing Gisette to use her secrets against her. "I best be going back to bed, wouldn't want your night to end on an extremely chilly note."

"Warm me up by walking me back to my room then." Gisette raised both eyebrows in surprise, never did she expect the scholar to make such a request. She was too traditional for that, as evident by her immense horror when she wanted to help her relax during the fourth week. Still, she nodded in agreement and they walked back to their rooms, ignoring the possibility that one of the servants would notice them and cause a scandal.


	8. Boredom (Wellin Countess & Jiyel Scholar)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always wondered how would a Wellin Countess interact with my Jiyel OC, and honestly I think this would be it. 
> 
> This is set during Week 5, and the Countess is on the set building team for the theatrical while the scholar is acting (as a minor role).

Selena sighed as she wandered around Vail Isle, bored as she found nothing interesting for her to do. The other delegates were carrying out their duties for the theatrical, be it sewing clothes, making props or rehearsing their lines. The last job was the one that sealed Selena's boredom, she couldn't practice some of the self-defence techniques Ana had taught her at the start of the summit since the actors were using the practice room to rehearse. She made her way to the small library, her mood instantly perking up the moment she laid her grey-coloured eyes on a Jiyel delegate.

"Hong! Thank the stars you're here!" The countess exclaimed, instantly getting herself shushed by the librarian on duty. She chuckled sheepishly, making her way to the table Hong was using to read her book. Said delegate hummed in response, acknowledging Selena's presence. "It's rare for you to be in the library!"

"And how do you know that I don't visit this place often?"

"I mean… I always come here to find Lyon so yeah." Selena explained, oblivious to the fact that Hong would prefer to be left alone. The countess was surprised that Hong wasn't in a dark corner of a room filled with people, she always had the impression that she preferred to be near people despite her clear introversion. "Anyways, I'm bored. So I figured that I would join you for… whatever you're doing."

"Thank you, but I prefer to be left alone. Perhaps you should resume your hunt for prop materials?"

"Eh, I don't wanna do it. I just chose that because I can't act and I hate sewing." Selena took a seat opposite Hong, not minding the cold glares sent her way. "What about you? Aren't you supposed to be rehearsing?"

"I appreciate a break from incessant chattering."

"... So you just want to get away from the noise?"

"Is that not what I've just said?" Selena frowned, one thing she found out from her limited interactions with Hong was that the latter liked to confuse people she didn't wish to interact with. Under normal circumstances, the countess would respect Hong's wish to be left alone. However, she was bored and decided that the Jiyel delegate would serve as good company. "... If you really wish to ease your boredom, you should find someone else. I would recommend your match if you wish to talk to someone from Jiyel."

"Lyon won't like it if I distract him, and the rest of the Jiyel delegates are making clothes. Which means you're stuck with me!" Hong huffed, her attention returning to the book she was reading. Truth be told, she wasn't particularly interested in the book she had but a certain duke had borrowed all of the non-fiction books she was interested in. Hence, she resorted to reading a romance novel much to her disappointment. "How about we play a game?"

"Thank you for the offer, but I think I'll pass."

"You don't have a choice!"

"See, this is exactly why you're not well-liked." Selena rolled her eyes, screw the nobles. If it wasn't for the fact that she had to cultivate _some_ reputation in order to increase her chances of being considered as a good match with Lyon, she would've flipped them off. "But fine, I'll humour you."

"Great! I'll say a word, and you'll use a word to describe the word I just said! Ready?" Hong said nothing, with Selena taking her silence as consent. "Cloud!"

"Fluffy."

"Stars!"

"Zarad."

"Penelope!"

"Tool." Selena furrowed her eyebrows, what did Hong mean by 'tool'? Penelope didn't have an over-inflated ego, that was Jarrod. Hong didn't bother to explain, and as such Selena decided to move on to the next word she had in mind.

"Cordelia!"

"Proper.

"Ana!"

"Brave."

"Gisette!"

"... Ice." Selena noticed that Hong had paused before replying, the latter giving her a wary look as she said her answer. She wanted to protest, but the way Hong smiled at her… it sent shivers down her spine. She _never_ smiled, which made it all the more threatening. "Are we done here perhaps?"

"Nope! I'm still bored." Hong sighed, just why was she entertaining the rambunctious Countess of Holt was beyond her own understanding. Selena smiled brightly, ignoring the Jiyel delegate's silent protests as she gave the next word. "Okay, what about Lyon?"

"Intelligent."

"There are other words too y'know."

"My turn." Was all Hong said as she placed her book aside, her hazel eyes barely hiding a motive. Exactly what motive was beyond the countess, but she had the sinking suspicion that it was nothing good. "Tell me, what do you think about someone who had murdered another because they were abused by the deceased?"

"I…" Selena frowned, was this some sort of test? The last time she was subjected to it, she was humiliated by Avalie in front of Zarad, who made no mention that he saw the scene but the way he interacted with her afterwards had a marked difference than the conversation during the Welcome Feast. "It really depends on the situation. For example, if it was murdering your husband because he was abusive, then one can say that it's simply self-preservation."

"But a life is a life, surely there are better ways to go about dealing with that abusive husband than murder?"

"Then we need to consider whether she had taken steps to resolve the abuse. Has she sought help for it? Has she tried talking to her husband about it? Has she tried running away? Are there any more ways available for her? Is murder the only solution? There are so many factors in this situation of yours, there's no true answer to her situation."

"How can you be so sure that it's the husband who's at fault? Dead men can't talk, how would you know that he really has been abusing her?"

"That's where facts have to come in. What's his personality? How does he behave under influence? What's his attitude towards women? Is his wife sincere or does she have a darker side to herself? What are their reputations in society? We may never know what exactly happened during that murder, but we _can_ form an outline to what most likely had happened."

"And what if the truth is not what most think?"

"Then we have to accept that the situation was much more complex, and that humans are unpredictable. No matter how much evidence we have, it can never give a full picture of what really happened."

"What an eloquent answer, I almost fell asleep halfway." Hong replied charmingly, as though she didn't just insult the countess. Selena grinned bashfully, failing to realise that she wasn't receiving a compliment. Still, Hong gave her a nod of approval, satisfied with whatever Selena had just told her. "Now then, I believe I should be rehearsing. I hope I've eased your boredom, even though you did nothing to mine."

"It was nice talking to you! We should hang out more often!" Selena suggested, being met with a curt nod from the Jiyel delegate. Hong stood up, leaving the romance novel behind on the table. "You forgot your book."

"I've a good memory Countess, and I'm sure that I forgot nothing." With that, Hong left the library. Selena decided that she should also leave, before the librarian on duty chased her out for being too loud. The countess decided to check out the book Hong left behind, she got the feeling that reading anything from a Jiyel delegate was bound to make her smarter.

While Selena didn't feel any smarter as she did the day before, she was dragged into a heated debate between mainly Jiyel delegates for no apparent reason. Not that she minded, she had successfully confused the poor Jiyel delegates (as well as the non-Jiyel delegates who were dragged into the mess) despite not knowing either the topic of discussion or the reason why they approached _her_ of all delegates.


	9. Flowing (Wellin Countess/Lyon)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set two days after Chapter 8, and still sometime around Week 5. 
> 
> I really like the idea of some MCs attending the same summit as each other, so I decided to play around with some of them.

"Have I ever told you that your hair reminds me of a flowing river?" Selena asked Lyon, who was reading a book on Wellin history. Lyon glanced at the beaming countess, the latter running her fingers through Lyon's silky raven hair. "It's so smooth too! What's with Jiyel people and silky flowing hair?"

"Not everyone from Jiyel has hair that can be described as such."

"Yeah, but all seven of you basically have silky hair! Ooh, your hair's making ripples." Selena manoeuvred her fingers in a way that made Lyon's hair move akin to ripples in water. Lyon rolled his eyes, his lips betraying a smile as the countess continued to play with his hair. "I envy you guys, my hair's stiff and they tangle easily."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah! Just the other day, my maids were brushing my hair and the hair brush was stuck in it!"

"Perhaps it was the quality of the brush?"

"I doubt it. It happened all the time back at home. Anyways, so my maids wanted to get the brush out _and_ brush my hair. Guess what happened?"

"... The brush broke." Lyon guessed, his answer was met with a loud sigh. "I'm sorry to hear that Selena."

"I rather the brush broke. They yanked out a good portion of my hair, but at least the damn brush was free." Selena rubbed the back of her head, unwittingly showing Lyon which part of her head had hair yanked out. Lyon frowned, he could imagine that it hurt for the countess. "Oh right! Two days ago, I was skipping out on prop duty-"

"Please don't skip out next time."

"-and I met Hong here! I was bored, and I managed to get her to play a game with me." Selena recounted, gaining Lyon's interest. He didn't show it, instead nodding occasionally to give the impression that he was invested in the recount. "Then she flipped the game around and asked me some weird questions!"

"Why do you say that they're weird?" Lyon was curious. From what he knew about Hong, she wouldn't seek out company on purpose unless it was in her own interests. He also assumed that since Selena was matched with him and Hong didn't see eye to eye with the duke, she wouldn't see eye to eye with the countess.

"Hmm… She asked me about whether widows who murdered their abusive husbands are right or not, then it became confusing. I don't know, I _think_ I impressed her somehow… but the whole exchange was weird." Selena shrugged, already planning to move on to the next topic. "Speaking of weird! A bunch of Jiyel delegates made me enter some debate yesterday! I think I did pretty well!"

"Selena."

"Yeah?"

"You're a flowing river yourself." Selena frowned, what did the duke meant by that? Sure, she was smart, but nowhere near smart enough to keep up with Lyon. Sensing the countess's confusion, he proceeded to explain. "What I mean is that you're able to switch topics swiftly yet naturally, like how a river flows easily as it's met with a bend. I suppose that's the reason why you've gotten the approval from the other Jiyel delegates."

"I did? Hong has that much influence within you guys?" Lyon simply shrugged, returning his attention to his book. Selena pouted, but accepted that Lyon had ended the topic. Sighing, she resumed playing with his hair. "One day, I'm going to find out the secret behind your long flowing hair."

"It's you after all, so I think that's possible."


	10. Laugh (Penelope & Lisle)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set on the day of the Matchmaker's Breakfast, with the Revaire Widow being the MC for this particular summit.

"Lisle, what are you reading?" Penelope asked as she watched her brother laughing while reading a book. Lisle had a hard time stopping his laughter, the book he was reading was just too hilarious for him to stop. "Oh, 'The Humourous Adventures of Mad Pirate Grapeton'. That explains it."

"Sorry, Pen. You know that I can't resist it. What's more, it's the latest adventure!" Lisle chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye as he faced his sister, who gave him a strange look. "Oh, don't look at me like that Pen! It's really good."

"I don't recall you bringing that here though. You decided to leave all the books you have about Mad Pirate Grapeton behind as you feared that someone would steal them. Which they won't."

"I… received this as a gift from Lady Willow." Lisle replied, shaking his head with regret. Penelope sighed, she knew what her brother was thinking. It wasn't that he didn't want to send a gift to the Revaire delegate, he was just too afraid that he would give her the wrong idea. Penelope had a feeling that Willow didn't send the book to Lisle because she wanted his affections, but she chose not to point that out. "Did she send you anything?"

"She gave me a letter! She said really nice things about me, and I can tell that she meant every single one!" Lisle smiled, he was content as long as his sister was happy. He stared at the book, considering his options. Now that it was the third week, he had a better idea of who Willow really was. "Lisle, do you think she'll like my gift?"

"I'm sure she will, it's a gift from you after all." Penelope blushed, she dearly hoped that Willow liked her gift as what Lisle had reassured her. She stood up, dusting her dress as she made her way to the door. "Pen, are you going for the Matchmaker's Breakfast now?"

"I don't want to be late Lisle." Penelope explained, waiting for Lisle to stand up and leave the bedroom with her. "Lisle? Are you coming?"

"I'll join you later." Lisle replied, returning to the book. He laughed out loud seconds later, nearly doubling over with laughter as Mad Pirate Grapeton crashed his ship in ways that Lisle didn't know was possible. Penelope pouted, watching her brother laugh into oblivion over a pirate who had the worst luck in the series. "Hahaha! Run Grapeton, run!"

_'... We're going to be absolutely late at this rate.'_


	11. Anticipation (Hise Pirate)

Ann couldn't wait until her ship reached Vail Isle, she was tempted to jump off her ship and swim to the isle. Not that she could, she had the feeling that she would get lost should she attempt to swim. Sure, she decided to go to the summit because she wanted to put her father at ease, but she was looking forward to making new friends with people from other nations. Maybe even romance, the options were endless.

Her father, who insisted that he at least sent her off to Vail Isle, approached her. Ann grinned, she couldn't wait to attend the summit. Even though there was a slim chance that it wouldn't be what she expected, it was still something that Ann was eagerly anticipating. He sighed, he didn't wish to part with his daughter even though it would only be for seven weeks. He was filled with worry, he was afraid that it would be the last time he would see his daughter.

"Don't do anything reckless."

"Do I _look_ like I'll do something reckless?" Her father gave her a pointed look, her crewmates laughing boisterously as they watched their confident captain shrink under her father's concern. "Alright fine, I won't try and fight an alligator during the summit."

"I'm serious Ann, this isn't like Hise. Not everyone's as upright and forward like you, Princess Cordelia or even Blackwater's Hamin. You're not running a ship this time, if you're not careful, you're going to get yourself played with."

"Even so, I still can't wait to reach Vail Isle. I've been anticipating this, and… well, this will make you happy. I'll be that Wellin daughter you've always wanted." Her father sighed once more, engulfing her in a bear hug that Ann disliked. "Hey, lemme go! My crew's watching!"

"Just let me have this Ann. And… don't do this for me, do this because you're looking forward to charting your own path at the summit. Do it because you want to make friends from foreign countries and maybe kidnap a boy back to Hise." Ann chuckled at the last part, her father was finally using Hise terms to interact with her. "... Of course, make sure he consents before you actually kidnap him."

"That goes without saying."

"Captain, we're reaching the isle!" One of her crewmates yelled out that the ship was approaching Vail Isle, and Ann should prepare to disembark. She wriggled free from her father's embrace, grinning confidently as she gave him a captain's salute. The way her mother used to give them before she set sailed.

"See you in seven weeks."


	12. Safe (Jiyel Scholar)

It was the fifth week, and Hong was at the cliffs, sighing to herself as the waves crashed below. She should be improving her reputation among the other delegates, but she couldn't stand the thought of being subjected to a tea and gossip session with the Revaire delegates.

For the first time in her life, Hong felt unsafe. When she learnt that she was chosen to replace Jiya, the first thing she did was to give both her cousin and her husband food poisoning. That was the most dangerous thing Hong had seen, given that either of them could've died from complications. Never did she expect herself to be poisoned by someone while she was at the summit, a fate Jiya had avoided and unintentionally left Hong to deal with. Nor did she expect herself to nearly die during the horse ride, she made a note to prepare the most _romantic_ declaration when it was time to confront Gisette about it.

Hong chuckled to herself, it was a miracle that she was on death's door twice and she was alive to reminisce about them. She shook her head, to think that the place that could've been her graveyard was the only place left that she felt comfort, that she felt safe from the dangers the summit had in store for her. There was still two weeks left before she could go back to the library, and even then it may no longer be safe since Jiya would've found out that Hong was the one who poisoned her. She stood at the cliffs for a while longer before leaving, not even the cliffs were considered safe enough to truly feel at ease.

_'Safe is no longer a word to mean protection against danger, it's a word to provide people with a sense of false security before they get dragged into the waters below.'_


	13. Up (Hise Pirate/Clarmont)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I say it's Hise Pirate/Clarmont, but there's basically only five lines mentioning it.

"What in the seven seas is this garbage?" Ann commented, shaking her head while the Countess of Holt nodded with agreement. Thanks to General Falon, they were enlisted to be part of the backstage crew to the disaster of a theatrical. "This is an absolute disaster!"

"That's something we can all agree on." The countess shrugged, nothing they could do at that point. Ann groaned, wincing as the delegate playing Serah's clumsy maid tripped and smashed her face against the floor. "... It sure is a smashing success."

"That looked _too_ real to be staged." Ann muttered, crossing her arms as she watched Clarmont defending Penelope from the evil Lady Matterly. She couldn't resist smirking as Clarmont flashed heartfelt grins towards her, expertly making it look like it was directed towards Penelope instead. _'Heh, can't wait to kidnap Monty. Oh, but I got to meet Moncha first…'_

"Lady Ann! We need your help on the other side!" One of the delegates whispered to her, his tone urgent and his body filled with tension. The pirate sighed, hopefully she would have a better view on the other side. They ran towards the other side, with Ann tripping over something in the process. While she managed to balance herself, she had accidentally stepped on one of the costumes lying about and slipped. "Lady Ann!"

"I'm fine! Just… got to… whoa!" Soon, her body was entangled in long strips of cloth. She was now hanging mid-air, akin to a prey trapped in a web. Ann sighed, there were worse fates than to be bound by cloth. She could hear the countess yelling to her, but she couldn't make out what it was. She decided to tug on the cloth binding her arms, yanking it downwards as hard as she could.

"No! Don't-" The warning came too late, and soon Ann was sent up into the air and over the metal frame that was keeping the stage upright. Within a few seconds, Ann was hanging up above the main characters on stage, with Lady Matterly about to be arrested. Ann could hear the countess sigh loudly behind the curtains, as well as gasps from the audience.

"Haha! I'm sure the queen wouldn't want her favourite maid to get hurt!" The delegate playing Lady Matterly declared, improvising so that the play could go on. She alternated looks between her enemies and Ann, genuinely worried that the pirate might fall any moment. "Now, surrender and I'll let your pitiful maid go!"

"Really, you resort to dangling poor maids with flimsy cloth? No wonder you're such a failure as a villain." Gisette, who was Vienna's actress, remarked. Ann groaned, this wasn't what she had in mind when she admitted to Clarmont that she missed standing on the highest point of her ship. She could see Clarmont looking up at her with sheer worry, which wasn't helping her to deal with her current predicament.

"My poor servant! Who would save her?!" Jaslen cried out, implying that she wasn't about to help save Ann. Ann could hear the countess barking out orders to untangle the cloth, with the delegates rushing about to carry out the orders given. "Oh, someone! Anyone!"

"Hey Ann! We're gonna let go, so try landing on someone!" The countess yelled, her words clearly heard by the audience. This caused muttered worries to ripple through the audience, and Ann spotted the general knitting his eyebrows with fury and embarrassment. "Now!"

"I got you!" Clarmont had managed to catch Ann seconds before she landed on the floor with a sickening crack as well as a possible broken spine. Ann was breathing heavily, that was the closest encounter to danger, not even her voyages with her pirate crew could ever compare. He smiled, relieved that Ann was safe. "Don't worry, Lady Matterly won't be able to harm you ever again."

"Thanks, Clarmont… or should I say Lord Horus?" Ann winked, successfully making Clarmont blush. It didn't matter that it was faint, she still counted it as a win.

"Enough! We should call an end to this farce at once!" Ann leapt out from Clarmont's arms, not wanting to face the brunt of the general's anger. She dashed behind the curtains, sighing with relief as Jaslen improvised and brought him off stage. The countess ran up to Ann, a concerned frown on her face as she barked out more orders to the backstage crew.

"Are you okay?"

"Hm? Apart from dangling up in the air and getting myself saved by a _very_ dashing lord? I think I'll stick to watching this mess." Ann chuckled in response, waving away the Wellin delegate's concern. "I don't think I'll be visiting places that are high up for quite a while."


	14. Consume (Wellin Countess)

Rage consumed Selena as she glared at the Onvu board before her. The smirk from her game partner only served to stoke the rage within her, threatening to burst out from the countess. Selena had asked for a lesson in Onvu, but she didn't expect the board game to be that hard.

"It's your turn." Selena gritted her teeth, it was obvious that her game partner was mocking her. One thing she learnt about Onvu was that players needed a clear head to even stand a chance of winning, something which Selena was struggling with. It took every ounce of her strength to not let herself be consumed by her rage, but the cockiness from her partner was pushing her towards the tipping point. "Are you giving up?"

"... No." Selena growled, squinting her eyes at the Onvu board. Her partner had played in such a way that no matter what move Selena made, it was sure to lead to her loss. She glared back at her partner, who was smirking back at her. "There's one move that I can make that won't give you that win."

"Oh? And what move is that?" Selena gave her partner a wild-eyed grin, promptly flipping the board off the table and onto the floor. Her partner sighed with exasperation, offering the countess a slow clap. "... Unorthodox, but not bad."

"What is going on here?!" Lyon stormed into the library, a frantic look etched on his features as he stared at the fallen board with horror. "Is that my Onvu board?!"

"Oh! Hi Lyon, I can explain." Selena gulped, she was hoping that the board could be returned to Lyon's room without him ever finding out about it. Her partner chuckled, about to make an escape had it not been for Selena grabbing her collar. "You know Lady Ann of Hise right? See, I once mentioned to her that I didn't know how to play Onvu and she offered to teach me! But neither of us have Onvu boards, so Ann decided to borrow yours!"

"Liar! You asked me to steal your match's board!"

"Why would I ever do that? I mean, he'll lend it to me should I ever ask, right Lyon?" Selena did her best to smile charmingly, realising that Lyon wasn't convinced and was now mourning over his board. "Wow, I've never seen Lyon like this."

"This is why I said to steal Lady Avalie's board!"

"Hey, at least _I_ don't have a death wish!"


	15. Tender (Hise Pirate & Hamin)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realised that some parts seemed to contain sexual implications... that was totally not my intention.

"Hamin… what is this?" Ann gestured to the black lump on her plate, wrinkling her nose at its unappealing texture. Hamin grinned back, pleased with himself. "Hamin, _please_ don't tell me that this is the meat that you said you'll grill until it was perfectly tender."

"Alright then! I won't tell you about how tender my meat is!"

"... Why did I ever make the mistake of accepting your invite to dinner?" Ann shook her head, everyone from Hise was aware of Hamin's dismal cooking, and she was having dinner with the cook who prepared it. "Hamin, you do realise that this black lump is nowhere near 'tender' right?"

"Well, _sorry_ for overcooking it a little!" Hamin protested, unable to see that he had thoroughly burnt the meat he had grilled in the kitchen. Ann sighed, how was it possible that none of the servants present in the kitchen noticed the culinary horror Hamin had created? "Besides, it's better for meat to be a little hard!"

"You practically served me coal! This isn't even edible no matter how much I look at it!"

"Oh c'mon, we're both from Hise! Surely you aren't picky?"

"Curse the stars for my folly…" Ann swore to herself as she broke the lumps into smaller pieces with her knife, with Hamin happily eating the burnt meat like it was the most delicious thing he ever had. _'Okay, how do I transfer these pieces of charcoal onto Hamin's plate without him noticing?'_


	16. Explore (Hise Pirate/Clarmont)

"I give up, I'm lost." Ann grumbled to herself, why did she think that it was a good idea to explore the gardens? Vail Isle's garden was designed to resemble a labyrinth, and Ann swore that its purpose was to trap delegates instead of providing them a relaxing place to pass time. Ann looked up, the hedges looming over her. With a smirk, she scaled up the hedge and stood on top of it. "What do you know, they're pretty sturdy after all for a bunch of plants."

"Ann? Is that you?" Ann looked down, a smile crossing her face as she stared down at her beloved. Clarmont sighed, a resigned look on his face as the pirate grinned mischievously. "Dare I ask why?"

"What better way to know the place inside out than to have a map?" Clarmont chuckled, extending his hand out to the pirate, who refused to come down. "No thanks, I don't want to get lost in this hedge maze."

"You have me."

"Monty, as much as I would love exploring with you, I don't want us to get lost."

"Think of me as your dashing navigator then." Ann remained silent, leaping down seconds later. Clarmont was relieved, he was worried that the pirate would fall at one point. "I see that you've decided to trust me."

"You could've just said that you know your way around this maze." The pirate nudged Clarmont, who ruffled her hair in retaliation. She grinned, how long had it been since they were alone? "Alright then, let's explore the hell out of this death trap before I kidnap you to tea."

"Is it really an exploration when I know the garden like the back of my hand?"

"Just let me have this one Monty."


	17. Alight (Jiyel Scholar & Lyon)

"You set my heart alight like a bonfire in Jiyel…? What the hell is this writer even talking about?" Hong muttered to herself as she read a romance novel, mainly to jeer at the idealistic notions found in such books. What perplexed her the most was the particular bonfire used to describe the character's feelings. "Clearly, this writer has never been to Jiyel."

"Lady Hong." Said woman looked up from her book, a shadow looming over her as well as a carefully controlled expression. She knew that Lyon didn't like her due to her lack of ethics, and the sentiment was mutual. "What are you doing here?"

"Anyone has the right to be here." Hong slammed her novel onto the table, irking Lyon as she had failed to treat books with respect. "... You're considered romantic right?"

"Unlike you, I would never play with people's feelings."

"Oh for the- no, I'm not going to start another debate with you about ethics." Hong sighed, this was the very reason she avoided Lyon. Just because she was good at debating didn't mean that she wanted to participate in one, a fact that many people seemed to not be aware about. "Is likening romance to the Ancestral Festival's bonfires considered romantic?"

"... You don't seem to be the romantic type."

"I'm not, love's a lie to convince people that there's someone on their side no matter how many times they fuck up." Lyon rolled his eyes, how was it possible for Hong to spout such passionate opinions when she was romantically involved with Gisette? He crossed his arms, squinting at Hong while she waited for a response. "It's this book that likened his love to our bonfires, not whatever you're thinking."

"Oh. That one." Lyon knew what book was Hong referring to, his match had recently mentioned it to him. He didn't have the heart to correct Selena that bonfires were the least romantic thing found in Jiyel, considering that they started bonfires as a way to pay respect to their ancestors. "Selena finds it romantic."

"... I have no words for the countess." Hong shook her head, did people associate fires to passion? Was that the reason why people likened fires to romance? She would never understand, such love was a mere fantasy, and even if it did, it would eventually be worn down by time. "You can have this book, I'm merely here to find a more… intelligent source of study."

"No thank you, please return it to its proper shelf."

"You do it, or else I'll set that book alight on fire."

"... Please start respecting books."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Ancestral Festival is something I made up... but it combines the purpose of the Qingming Festival (paying respect to ancestors) and what people usually do during the Hungry Ghost Month (toss hell notes into large fires).


	18. Branch (Hise Pirate & Hamin)

"Here kitty, kitty…" Ann cooed to a grey cat lounging on a branch high up. She sighed, all she wanted was for the cat to come down so she could play with it. The cat meowed, indicating its refusal to come down. "... Do cats hate me or something?"

"Well well, something eating at you?" Ann glanced over her shoulder, grinning as a familiar face approached her, his mischievous grin brightening her day. He looked up, his green eyes gaining the cat's attention. Before they knew it, the cat leapt down and landed on Hamin's head, making a mess of his hair. "Hey now! Don't be sleeping in my hair!"

"How did you…?" Ann shook her head, it was well-known that Hamin had a way with animals. Why else would that damn calico cat only love him and no one else? She glowered, wishing that the cat would make a mess of her hair and sleep in it. Hamin smirked, aware that Ann was jealous that he had a cat making itself comfy on his head and not Ann's. "Queen Pickle will get jealous."

"Aw c'mon, this kitty belongs on the isle. Besides, my heart already belongs to her." Hamin replied, lifting the cat from his head and placing it on Ann's. The cat yowled, scrambling off her and up the tree. It sashayed towards the same branch Ann first saw the cat, hissing at her once it settled down. "Wow, the winds don't favour you do they?

"Shut up, I don't need any more reminders that animals hate me."


	19. Facade (Jiyel Scholar)

A facade, that was what the summit was. The event held on Vail Isle was a facade, a game that most delegates were unaware of, serving as unwitting pawns to players of the grand game. Hong didn't know what that was, and she didn't care to find out.

That was her initial thought, until she met the mysterious servant that raised Jasper's hackles. He said something that irritated her, that the isle was playing a game that was much grander, and much more dangerous than the ones she was involved in. She didn't like him, who was he to assume that she wanted to be caught in the manipulations of others?

Hong crossed her arms, who was she to even complain about the games played and the facade she was forced to put up with? She was pretty sure that Lord Adalric's murder was yet one of the many games the people on Vail Isle was playing, it just so happened that her sweetheart was one of the lower stake players in that round and herself even lower.

She stared at the sky beyond the open window, a calm blue staring back at her. Should she even bother to find out what was behind the quaint isle's facade? Would the possible knowledge even help her survive her remaining weeks at the summit? Would knowing the truth behind the grand game serve as an important tool for her to wield while pursuing noble causes? Sighing, she made her way out of her room, a single thought in her mind serving as a prayer, despite her own objections towards religion.

_'If there's really a god out there like what those illogical Arland delegates believe, please don't give me any more trouble than the one I'm subjecting myself to.'_


	20. Astral (Arland Princess/Zarad)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... I have no idea what drugs I was on when writing this, but bluffing my way through the history behind astral planes is too much even for me... 
> 
> I say that, but this chapter still exists.

"Corval's beliefs are rather different from us, aren't they?" Zarad raised an eyebrow, what prompted his lady love to make such a comment? Upon noticing the surprise on his face, the Arland princess rushed to explain. "Duke Lyon had kindly recommended another book to me, this time about beliefs different countries have."

"Oh? And what differences are they?"

"It's rather hard to explain… but am I right in saying that Corval believes in spiritual beings from a different dimension?"

"Ah, the astral plane yes?" Rose nodded, relieved to know that she had gotten the fact right. Zarad hummed a tune, providing them background noise to their tea. He sipped his tea, considering what he could tell the princess about that she couldn't know from books. "Is there anything you would like to know about the astral plane? After all, you've a very handsome Corval prince right in front of you."

"Hmm… How is it different from our gods? I'm still not able to wrap my head around it…"

"Arland and Wellin believe that gods were at one point mortal, and that they ascended to a higher plane of existence because of the good deeds they have done. Corval, on the other hand, believes that there are beings living in the higher plane of existence to begin with."

"And the people of Corval call the higher plane of existence the astral plane?" Zarad nodded briskly at Rose's reply, taking another sip of his cup of tea. He made a point to ask the princess about the tea before the end of their tea session together, he could get addicted to this particular blend. "Are they called gods in Corval, or do they use another term to address those beings?"

"We tend to address them as celestial beings. To us, gods imply that they are controlling our lives, that our fate is not determined by our actions and rather by their whims. That's not what us people of Corval like to think, we dislike the thought that we can't control our own fate."

"That sentiment seems to resonate everywhere but Arland and Wellin, Arland moreso."

"That's not true, and you know it." Zarad reminded, reminded Rose of her decision to live her life on her own terms. "Celestial beings, on the other hand, the term implies that those beings living on the higher plane of existence are simply offering us guidance. We're free to not accept their guidance, and they don't strike us down with lightning if we snub them."

"And how many times have you been struck by lightning then?"

"Thankfully, none. Though I wouldn't be opposed if it was a pretty lady striking me down, there's something beguiling about a woman's rage."

"Oh? That sounds like an invitation for me to strike you."

"Strike me with your pleasant breeze, and not lightning." They both chuckled, appreciating the banter they shared. "What do you think the word means to you?"

"What, lightning?"

"Astral." Rose crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly as she pondered over Zarad's question. Zarad felt his heart sing at the sight, he loved it whenever the princess tilted her head as she thought. It reminded him of an owl he once saw in his youth. _'Would Rose be opposed if I called her an owl instead? Oh, but it would be too unkind to imply that she's high maintenance especially since she's not.'_

"When I think of that word… I imagine the mysteries of the universe being confined in a ball, and once you throw them, they explode. The explosions would be really pretty, and you can see stars in that bright explosion."

"Do you have a name for that ball?"

"Hmm… How about astral charges?"

"What a positively lovely name for such a beautifully dangerous thought." Rose faked a pout, with Zarad breaking out in laughter. "Do not worry, for you're the fairest princess of them all."

"Compliments won't get you anywhere!" Rose countered, unable to resist the urge to crack a grin. Zarad laughed often, but only his genuine laughter was able to infect others. She felt lucky that she was able to see this side of Corval's third prince, past the flirtatious facade he tended to don. "Zarad, may I confess something?"

"A second confession? Either I'm well loved, or you're very naughty."

"Can't a lady confess to her love of her life that she loves him?"

"Ah, I see that you wish to kill me with your delightful nature. Very well, but make it as romantic as possible."

"You're such a charmer, but I don't hate that about you."


	21. Tear (Wellin Countess & Jiyel Scholar)

"Gah! How do you do it?" Selena cursed herself as her finger started to ooze blood, the paper's edge tinged dark red with blood. The paper that slit her finger was torn into two unequal halves, a result from the forces that pulled it apart. The Jiyel delegate beside her sighed, she was only teaching the countess how to fold origami, not how to forge a blade. "Is origami some kind of ancient Jiyel craft that's passed down from generation to generation?!"

"... No, you're just too impatient." Hong shook her head, why did the countess approach her instead of Lyon. Now that she thought of it, why did she even agree to teach Selena anyways? The countess grumbled, burning holes onto the torn halves. "Folding origami is indeed a craft, and every craft requires precision and patience."

"It's a shame that I can't just flip the paper and call an end to it." Selena muttered, referencing an event a few days ago that included Lady Ann of Hise teaching her how to play Onvu, and Lyon mourning over his flipped board. She smirked, she couldn't get the sight of Lyon shedding tears over his board out of her head, it was just too funny for her to forget. "By the way, how did you get so many papers for today?"

"I requested to have quite a few pieces of paper for today's lesson, though I fear that it may not be enough." Hong shrugged, it was entirely possible at the rate Selena was going through her papers. The countess had the decency to sheepishly apologise, smoothing the scholar's ruffled feathers. "Why me, and not Duke Lyon?"

"Well~ I want to give him an origami creation of my own as a gift! I realised that the pair of deerskin gloves I gave to him a while back wasn't the most practical gift since clearly he doesn't do any form of hunting at all."

"He hunts for books, but fair enough." Hong accepted the explanation, handing the countess a few more pieces of paper. She wanted to retort that they weren't exactly friends, and that Ann would be more than happy to teach Selena how to fold origami. "You're very lucky that my schedule is empty today, else you would have to find someone else."

"Nah, you're plenty free! All I hear about you is that you go to the cliffs, the servants' quarters and your room!"

"Those are simply rumours, I do much more than to lounge in my room all day." That was a lie, Hong really liked to spend time in her room as it provided her a haven from the draining socialisation she was forced to endure for the rest of the summit. In fact, she would've preferred to minimise her interactions with other delegates but unfortunately for her, Selena made it a point to seek her out as often as possible. "It'll do you good to not believe idle chatter and actually do some research on your own."

"You know me, research's not my thing."

"... Is your finger better?" Hong asked, her eyes widening at the splotches of blood on several torn pieces of paper. She hoped those weren't the fresh batch of papers she had just provided the countess with, she sorely hated her effort going to waste and she would ensure Selena understood that fact at all costs. "Please tell me you're not still bleeding."

"Oh! No, my finger's all better. I kinda slit my palm on accident though, who knew fresh papers are sharp?" It took all of Hong's best efforts to not unleash her anger on the countess, who was apparently clumsier than the scholar herself, which said a lot. "Hong? You okay? Want to tear a few papers for fun instead?"

"Forget origami, just write a damn letter to Duke Lyon. Use your blood to form a rose or something before I tear you a new one."


	22. Flame (Revaire Widow & Penelope)

"Oh! Willow, what are you doing?" Penelope asked as she entered Willow's room, shocked to see her holding a candle holder. The candle holder held a candle, its wick still unlit. The Revaire woman blinked at Penelope's presence, not expecting anyone at such hour. "Fires are dangerous! You could burn down the whole isle!"

"I don't think it's _that_ bad." Willow chuckled, grabbing a box of matchsticks on the table. "Did we agree to meet for supper? If so, I regret to inform you that I've forgotten about it."

"No, I should apologise! I came here thinking that you're free, my apologies." Penelope sunk into a low curtsy, giving Willow a flattering view of her figure. She gulped, she wasn't going to let her mind wander, not when her future husband was also Penelope's fiercest protector. "What are you going to do with those items?"

"Ah. It's a Revaire charm." Penelope tilted her head with confusion, failing to see how a charm could be made with the mentioned items. "I don't mean charms as in items, I meant it as a prayer."

"Oh! That sounds interesting!"

"... Would you like to do it with me? It's very simple, and I can assure you that it's safe. Unless you suffer from pyrophobia."

"Really? A-Are you sure I wouldn't be a bother?" Willow nodded, she could use some company anyways. She figured that Penelope would want to light one for her brother once she learnt of the candle's purpose. "Thank you so much! I promise, I'll stay out of your way!"

"You're not a bother Penelope, shall we head to the gazebo to carry out this activity?" The Wellin princess nodded eagerly, soon led to the gazebo by Willow once she had brought enough materials for Penelope as well as for herself. The gazebo was quiet, save for the crickets. Penelope smiled, being in the gazebo calmed her somewhat. "I was surprised to hear that candle charms aren't a thing in both Arland and Wellin, considering that Revaire's religious roots stem from these two countries."

"I didn't know you're religious."

"I'm not. Candle charms… to me, they serve as a hope that the stars will watch over us." Willow softly replied, handing Penelope a candle holder with a candle in it. "Here."

"Thank you." Penelope accepted the candle holder, staring at its polished surface with interest. She was simply grateful that Willow allowed her to participate in a Revaire tradition, and to learn more about the war-torn country. "What should I do now?"

"Think about someone, or a few people you want to pray for." Willow instructed, watching as Penelope closed her eyes. A serene expression formed on the Wellin princess's face, warming Willow's heart. She smiled fondly, making a note to pray for Penelope with her own candle. "Afterwards, you light the candle."

"Does the flame represent something?" Penelope asked as Willow helped to light her candle with the matchsticks she brought, a soft orange flame swaying at the top of the candle's wick.

"I don't remember what it means, but it helps that it's beautiful to look at while watching the candle melt." Willow replied, lighting her own candle and placing it beside Penelope's. The two of them sat there in silence, watching the candles steadily melt as the flames flickered in the dark. "... In Revaire, candle charms are usually done by nobles."

"Why?" Penelope asked, an innocent question that dug up Willow's memories. Memories of when she was poorer, when her family couldn't even afford food and that they had to hunt animals just to survive. She laughed, she made a poor hunter now that she was able to look back on it. "I-I apologise, I didn't mean to imply-"

"Oh, no. I was laughing at my past self, my sisters and I had to hunt animals just to feed ourselves back then. We were really poor, and yet my parents still borrowed money that we could never return just to maintain an air of nobility." Willow explained, a quarter of their candles had melted and the flames were still burning strongly. "Candle charms are only used by nobles as they're the only ones who could afford them."

"Oh…"

"When those in poverty get their hands on candles, they're not going to waste it on silly things like flimsy prayers. Hopes and prayers are only for the rich, and with Revaire's current political climate, I doubt even the nobles can afford candles soon."

"Are candles expensive in Revaire?" Willow said nothing for a brief moment, then threw her head back to let out an unrestrained laugh. Her laughter died down after a while, smiling wryly at her half-melted candle.

"Everything's expensive in Revaire, with inflation and whatnot. I confess, I'm not particularly well-read on economics." Willow sighed to herself, she once thought that nobles were stuck up. Now look at you, she thought. She was now part of the community she loathed as a child, and she was still climbing up the ranks within the community. "I guess this is why I take advantage of my current status, to afford things that I once cannot, to light countless charms in hopes that my sisters don't have to follow the path I took."

"I think this is why Lisle likes you, he cherishes family a lot." Penelope whispered, her candle was three-quarters gone and the flame was starting to waver. "Do you think that we could have peace between the seven countries?"

"We better, else this summit's a waste." Their candles were almost fully melted, with the flames clinging onto dear life as they started to dim. They went out shortly after, the gazebo descending into darkness once more. "Is Lisle okay with you wandering about in the dead of the night?"

"I won't say anything if you won't." Willow had a faint smile on her face as she picked up the two candle holders, with Penelope grinning at her future sister-in-law.

"Finally keeping secrets from your dear brother? Are you entering the rebellious princess stage now?"

"A little secret won't hurt him!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only learnt the existence of votive candles after doing research to see if there's any religious practice that includes burning candles as a prayer. Apparently Christians denominations do it, but I'm just using any old candle for this whoops.


	23. Tradition (Jiyel Scholar/Gisette)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What the prompt is and what I wrote are two completely different things, and even after knowing that I messed up spectacularly, I decided to just make it even worse like the terrible writer I am. So yay for that!

"I must say, I'm quite intrigued to know why I'm staring at all these food." Gisette commented, with Hong grunting in acknowledgement as she poured a dark brown liquid into Gisette's tea cup. All she understood from the scholar's invitation was to join her for a private evening tea, nothing more, nothing less. "Is the plan to forgo dinner? If so, I'm delighted to inform you that you're doing a wonderful job."

"Compliments won't get you anywhere." Hong replied, staring at the display of food on the table. She had prepared quality Jiyel egg tarts, buns stuffed with savoury meat, and baked emblem cakes. The reason why she invited her sweetheart to an evening tea was to observe her under the guise of a date. Of course, she knew that Gisette would easily see through the sham of a tea session. "I was thinking that a princess should know _some_ of the traditions Jiyel has."

"Are you trying to say that I don't know anything about Jiyel?"

"I'm sure you do, can't a girl use education as an excuse to spend time with a charming lady like yourself?"

"You should consider becoming a poet, I'm sure you can make money by waxing flattery for others." Gisette chuckled, gesturing to the food on the table. "So what tradition am I considered lucky to be a part of this evening?"

"Oh? Didn't you say that you knew a lot about Jiyel? Surely you can tell what's the purpose of this evening tea." Hong remarked, exaggerating her surprise at Gisette's response. The Revaire princess shook her head, making it known that had it been anyone else, she would've left the session immediately. "One guess?"

"I would say it's a tradition for nobles to waste each other's time with frivolous mind games over a nice cup of tea." Gisette reached out for her tea cup, instead getting her hand swatted away by Hong. "What's the purpose of pouring this lovely tea if I'm not allowed to drink it?"

"Tradition dictates that one should only drink the tea _after_ eating the desserts provided."

"I didn't know buns are considered desserts in Jiyel." Gisette commented, examining the meat buns with feigned interest. "But really, what's the feast for?"

"It's for the Autumnal Moon Festival. What we're having today is the best part of the festival." Hong explained, informing Gisette that she should start by eating the meat buns followed by the emblem cakes and the egg tarts, ending the session by drinking the tea. "Sounds like something even you can do."

"Oh Hong, you should know better than to underestimate me." Hong shrugged, she could have said that it was entirely possible for people to forget the proper way to start the evening tea but decided not to. "What I fail to understand is that this doesn't seem appropriate for summer."

"Indeed, but it's the only time I get to partake in this tradition with you." Hong replied, handing the Revaire princess a meat bun. Said princess accepted it, playing with it much to Hong's dismay. "What are you doing?"

"Testing for poison." Gisette joked, but Hong was having none of it. She simply crossed her arms and glared at Gisette until she actually ate the bun. "This better not be your way of poisoning me, I at least deserve a more romantic way to go."

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to prepare twelve roses during your final moments." Hong replied, watching her beloved finish the bun with a surprising amount of elegance. Maybe this is why delegates constantly fawned over her, she thought to herself. People were attracted to beautiful objects, and Gisette definitely belonged to that category. Said princess was currently examining the emblem cakes, wary of its ingredients. "Don't worry so much about what's inside."

"Ah but if I don't, am I really part of the Revaire royal family?" Gisette asked, tracing the emblem carved on the cake's baked skin. "You know, I wouldn't have put up with this tradition of yours had it been someone else."

"What a relief to know that you love me so." Hong replied, taking a big bite of her emblem cake. Usually, emblem cakes were filled with bean paste but due to Hong's preferences, she had obtained cakes filled with strawberry paste. It cost her a few gold, but it was worth it if she had to put up with Gisette's apparent fussiness. "Don't worry sweetheart, if I want to poison you, I wouldn't make such a big show of it."

"I guess that's true, you're not the type to show off. Unlike that brother of mine." Gisette agreed, taking a small bite of her emblem cake. She was surprised to taste the faint sourness of strawberries, she knew that Jiyel tended to favour traditional bean paste over modern ones. She raised a delicate eyebrow at Hong, indicating her surprise over Hong's choice of filling. "For someone who follows tradition so closely, you sure love to deviate from it."

"I can't help it if my preferences aren't traditional at all." That was true, Hong never liked the traditional Jiyel fillings for emblem cakes, they were much too bitter for her liking. Gisette smiled sweetly at the response, consuming the egg tarts without any complaints. Hong found it ironic that her lady love didn't have a shred of caution when it came to the egg tarts, they were actually the easiest to poison out of the three options present. "I'm glad that it's you that I have a personal understanding with, and not your unpredictable brother."

"Why, I'm fairly sure he's very predictable. He wastes perfectly lovely food and throws a tremendous tantrum, everyone on this isle knows about habits after all." Gisette laughed, even _she_ couldn't tolerate her volatile brother, just that she made an effort to not let the world know about it. "Is it finally time for tea?"

"You make it sound like I've been depriving you."

"You've already deprived me of the purpose of this delightful evening tea session, what's another one?"

"The purpose of this is actually to be thankful that we don't go hungry unlike those of lower status, but since when do you care about them?" Gisette nodded in kind, delighted to be reassured that they were on the same page when it came to ethics, or rather the lack of it. She lifted the tea cup to her lips, taking a cautious sip of the cooled liquid as Hong watched. "I think you'll like this part of the session the best, considering that you love to hold tea sessions often."

"You say that, but there's something else in the tea you've brewed." Gisette pointed out, recognising the strong presence of mulled wine mixed with the light scent of Jiyel tea. "If I didn't know any better, I would say that you're trying to get me drunk."

"That would imply that you're a lightweight, which we both know that you're anything but that." Hong remarked, satisfied to hear that Gisette liked the drink. Or at least liked _her_ enough to not complain about it. "Father used to say that traditions are best done with loved ones, and I'm beginning to see why."

"It's a shame that I don't have any Revaire traditions to share with you. All we have is wearing red for six months when in mourning, and despite your given name, you don't look extremely flattering in red."

"Yes, that tradition Revaire has is a great shame. I would love to see you in red one day." Hong replied, taking a sip of her own drink. Gisette had a mysterious smile on her face as they drank their alcoholic teas in silence, occasionally exchanging opinions over Arland's conservative fashion.

During the Ambassador's Ball, Hong was pleasantly surprised to see the Revaire princess wearing a red gown that gave onlookers a flattering view of her figure, a sight that didn't please Revaire's ambassador, but Hong was sure that Gisette would handle the issue afterwards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only two things the Autumnal Moon Festival mentioned in this story and the Mid-Autumn Festival have in common are the mooncakes and the fact that it's usually celebrated in autumn. Of course me being me, I called the mooncakes 'emblem cakes' in this story as most mooncakes have fancy designs on them that reminded me of emblems. 
> 
> I have no idea what's the true purpose of the Autumnal Moon Festival since I never planned on expanding it, it's probably about being together and being grateful for nature's blessings.


	24. Desperate (Revaire Widow)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please note that the archive warning of rape/non-con applies to this chapter and that there's swearing along with abuse directed at a female character.

She was just desperate, that was what it was. She suffered at her late husband's hands, and was left vulnerable. It wasn't her fault that things ended up this way, that her late husband died. Who was she kidding? Of course it was her fault, _she_ was the one who poisoned him, regardless of her circumstances.

Willow sobbed, she remembered how her late husband coughed out blood minutes after scarfing down the cake meant to celebrate their first anniversary together. How he swore at her and cursed her with ill luck as she watched him, coughing up blood. She remembered in vivid detail, the agony he was in as he gasped his dying breaths. She remembered how her hands trembled, blood coughed up from her late husband staining her fingers, her palms, her wrists.

Willow shed even more tears, cupping her scarred cheek as her frail body shivered at memories of her late husband slapping her. That was when he was in a good mood, the pain was much worse on normal days, and on days when he was in a bad mood... She hugged herself, her crystal blue eyes turning glassy upon remembering the nights that she was violated by her late husband in ways that reminded her that she was little more than a breeding tool to further his lineage.

She stared at her trembling hands, it was as white as snow. Yet, all she could see was how caked in red they were. All she could smell was the nauseating stench of iron, all she could hear was her late husband whispering mockeries in her ears.

"You're just a pathetic whore, you couldn't even kill me with your head held up high." Willow heard him whisper, covering her ears with her blood-stained hands in a desperate attempt to block out his grating words. "You're nothing."

"Y-You're wrong! I murdered you, the suffering you dealt… I stopped it. I stopped it on my own!"

"Who provided the poison? Who provided you with the baking ingredients? Who provided you with the money to get them?"

"Doesn't matter, i-it no longer matters…!"

"You've always been an ungrateful bitch, whining to stop on nights that I wanted to love you."

"What y-you did was wrong!"

"Was I? Or was I fulfilling my duty as a husband?" He sneered, mocking his wife relentlessly without any end in sight. "What _you_ did is wrong, my dear. Murder is a crime in Revaire, you could be hanged. You can join me in hell, my love."

"Y-You left me with no choice! I never wanted to… to poison you! I just wanted it to stop!"

"I look forward to seeing you in red, darling. I love the way my blood sticks to your skin, as though _I'm_ the one embracing you." He cackled, taking great joy in tormenting his wife. "Wearing red while in mourning lasts for six months, but you'll get to mourn your _dearest_ husband for all eternity."

"Get out of my head!" Willow begged, tears running down her cheeks and freely falling to the carpet. Her late husband obliged, leaving her thoughts alone. _'I did what I had to, it's all my fault that he died... I did what I had to, it's my choice to murder him... I did what I had to, I deserve this...'_


	25. Secret (Jiyel Scholar/Gisette)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The thing about Gisette is that I love her, but never know how to characterise her. That's considered irony right?

Hong was sick of the summit, all she wanted was to go home, free from the isle's secrets. To her credit, she tried once. She did her best to bomb her second interview with the Matchmaker, unfortunately her butler had so much faith in her that he intervened on her behalf.

She sighed, who was to say that her butler didn't have motives of his own when persuading the Matchmaker to let her stay? Everyone on the isle had secrets, the mysterious servant informed her. Those secrets were connected to a larger game that was more dangerous than the ones the delegates or chaperones were playing.

Hong shook her head, she really had the habit of visiting the cliffs whenever she wanted to reflect upon her time at the summit. She was about to leave the cliffs, pausing as a delegate approached her with the nonchalance of a pampered cat. She frowned, she was beginning to suspect that the two of them had the affinity of always meeting at the cliffs and considering their circumstances, she wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

"We really need to stop meeting up like this." Hong rolled her eyes, her partner's purple-blue eyes dancing with restrained delight. "There's something awfully calming about standing above the sea, don't you agree?"

"And sometimes I think you're my stalker, appearing whenever I least want you to. Don't you think so, Gisette?" The Revaire princess gave her beloved a half-lidded smile, reaching out for Hong's hair. "What are you doing?"

"Didn't I once mention that I love running my fingers through hair?"

"You know what I mean." Gisette let out a soft sigh, acknowledging that Hong wasn't in the mood to play the games that they usually did. It was a shame, she loved it when they were playing a mental game of Onvu.

"Tell me, what are your plans once this summit's over?"

"Are you expecting it to be some juicy secret? If so, then I'm sorry to disappoint."

"You make it sound like I actively seek out secrets, my dear." Hong shrugged, that was exactly what the princess liked doing, and she took no pains to hide it from those savvy enough to notice. "Even someone like me is able to care for another."

"I don't doubt that Gisette." Hong replied, briefly glancing at the princess. It wasn't as if she was trying to keep her future plans a secret, return to Jiyel and lock herself up in her library. Anyone could have guessed it, even the brainless Crown Prince of Revaire could. "I plan to stay in a library for the rest of my life, maybe receive a letter from you once every few years."

"Trust me Hong, you'll be receiving more letters from me. Perhaps daily, if I could spare the time to untangle myself from Revaire's politics." Gisette replied, her words coming out as a seductive purr as she unbuttoned her collar with a satisfying pop. Hong raised an eyebrow, curious to the princess's abrupt action. "Do you remember what you paid to know a secret of mine with a kiss?"

"Sure, that was a kiss well given." Hong crossed her arms, wondering where Gisette was leading the conversation to. Definitely not anything scandalous, she thought, her unbuttoned collar was just a distraction. "Why? I'm an open book, there's nothing you don't know about me."

"Really? I can't seem to figure out why you were feeling poorly until recently. That seems like a nice secret to share, don't you think?"

"If I don't know you at all, I would say that you're being concerned for me."

"... I still am, regardless of who I am now." Gisette had a flicker of hurt reflected in her eyes, though it was gone as soon as it came. Hong gritted her teeth, careful to not let her emotions show. She couldn't afford to reveal that Gisette had more hold over her heartstrings than she would've liked, a pull and Hong was basically putty in Gisette's hands. "Oh fine, then tell me the secret behind that scar on your hand. Surely that's more interesting than a boring sickness."

"Well… it involved a dangerous game, a regrettable mistake on my part, and a physical reminder to never play games out of my league." Hong made it sound like it was some great secret with her hushed tone, but both knew that it was nothing more than carelessness on the Jiyel scholar's part. "There, now you're privy to my greatest secret."

"What an honour, I'm delighted to receive it." Gisette chuckled, the wind sending her voice towards the ocean below. "... I meant it when I said that I'll write you letters."

"Can you really afford to make promises when Revaire's in a difficult situation?"

"I said that I don't make promises that I don't trust myself to keep, never once did I say that I'm unable to make any." Hong shrugged, hinting to her sweetheart that she had better things to do than to keep Gisette company and that she would leave the cliffs soon. "I wonder, will you write any to me once we return to our countries?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I prefer to keep such details a secret until I know where I'm going with things." Hong responded, walking away from both the cliffs and the princess. The wind carried her remaining words towards Gisette as she drifted further from the highest point of the isle, allowing them to be heard clearly. "And as we both know, I know nothing about anything."

"... And as always, you don't give yourself much credit."


	26. Discrete (Wellin Countess/Lyon)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had no idea what the prompt meant, and turns out it wasn't a spelling error like what I've initially thought... Good thing I have a Wellin Countess I can use to pass off my ignorance

"Hey Lyon, how bad is my handwriting?" Selena asked as her eyes stared at a page in a dictionary, her fingers idly tracing the pages as she waited for Lyon to answer. He shrugged, her handwriting was illegible but somehow he was able to decipher it every time. "I'm hoping that my handwriting's really bad."

"That's not something ladies would say… I think?" Lyon replied, wondering if noblewomen cared about messy handwriting. The books about women never made any mention of it, and the women he was surrounded by were not considered the ideal noblewoman. Selena groaned, sparking concern in the duke. "... Practice more?"

"Not that, I realised that 'discrete' isn't another way to spell 'discreet'! I just used that word like, at least ten times in the letter I just sent!" Lyon simply stared at her, as though willing her to lower her volume. She made half-hearted apologies as went back to agonising over her current issue, which was the embarrassment she would face. "God, my language tutor would be so disappointed in me."

"Take this as a lesson and learn from it." Lyon said, with the countess sighing at his lacklustre response. He had a ghost of a smile on his face, melting away to a sterner frown. "Life is about learning from mistakes, you should be grateful that you have the opportunity to do so."

"... Thanks for cheering me up." Selena sighed, she knew that Lyon's way of cheering people up wasn't as empathetic as most people would've preferred. Lyon nodded briskly, flipping the cover of the book he was planning to read open. They read in silence, simply enjoying each other's presence.

"I see… so these two are discrete from each other… wait, where's that book then…?" Lyon mumbled to himself as he started searching for a particular book among the books cluttered around him. Selena chuckled, handing him a book that had a bookmark sticking out from its pages. "... How did you know?"

"You were reading this one just now while I was talking about how I mixed up the two words." Lyon nodded gratefully as he plucked the book from her outstretched hand, furiously flipping until he reached the page he desired. "... Lyon? What does 'discrete' _actually_ mean?"

"It means separate."

"I see…" Selena left him to cross-reference the two books, watching him as he did so. "I hope we won't go our discrete ways."

"... Selena, that's not how you use that word."

"This is why I hate studying."


	27. Perfection (Arland Princess/Zarad)

Perfection, that was everyone's description about Constance. Everyone, including Rose, thought that she was the epitome of perfection. That wasn't far from the truth, everyone, including those at the summit she attended loved her. She led a perfect life, and secured a perfect alliance with the mysterious Corval, allowing Arland to secure its economy. Even her marriage was perfect, Constance married the Crown Prince of Corval after all.

That was what Rose had thought, until she received that fateful letter from her beloved sister. The more she read, the less she knew about Constance. Wasn't she happy? Wasn't she living the perfect life with her husband in Corval? Wasn't she the perfect sister that could do anything? Rose realised that she was being unfair, putting her sister on such a pedestal for so many years. Was she to blame though? The royal court constantly told her to be as perfect as Constance, and as she grew older, she was told that she could never achieve the same level of perfection as her dear sister. She couldn't help feeling envious towards her seemingly perfect sister, and the letter changed everything.

And now here she was, at the summit doing what the whole of Arland expected her to do. She initially started out to serve her duty, striving to be Arland's perfect princess as much as she could. Now, she wasn't sure what to do. She confronted what she was taught to believe, and realised that she wasn't as perfect as what her court shaped her to be. In fact, her court was far from perfect, and needed to open their doors and learn from other countries instead of trying to marry their princesses off to some foreign land.

She sighed, speaking of perfection, did she even deserve Zarad? She wasn't the perfect princess Arland wanted her to be, and her actions at the summit certainly proved it true. She behaved badly from her observations, and she was sure everyone knew it. So why did Zarad stay with her, even going as far as to allow himself to be matchmade with her? During the date, why did he reveal that he cared for an imperfect person like herself? She asked once, and he responded with a bunch of flowery nonsense. It was his way of telling her the parts he liked about her, but that still didn't answer her question.

She thought about it, wondering if she had made the wrong decisions in life. Perhaps if she chose to follow her duty, she could be a step closer to perfection. Perhaps if she didn't choose to plot Aamir's death, she could be closer to perfection, closer to being innocent, closer to not ruining Zarad's perfection. She shook her head, Zarad once told her that being able to accept her flaws was a sign of strength, not weakness. Rose understood where he was coming from, but wasn't accepting that she was imperfect already a sign of weakness?

"Am I finally mastering the art of being invisible? Pray tell my dear, if you can see me." Rose flinched, how long was her beloved watching her? She glanced up, his eyebrows furrowed as he held a bouquet of roses behind his back. "Here, it's rather unoriginal especially from me, but it's your favourite flower."

"Thank you Zarad, and no, I'm afraid to say that you're far from mastering such art." Rose replied, immediately shelving her thoughts to a dim part of her brain, collecting dust until she was ready to confront them once more. Zarad chuckled, taking a seat beside her. "... I'm glad it's you."

"Hmm? Have you done something wrong? Perhaps a scandalous meeting with Lord Blain?"

"I should think that's considered delightful, I'm starting to think that a delicate princess like myself should spend more time with a wonderfully nasty noble."

"How fortunate of me then, to have the attention and love of someone as delicate as yourself." Zarad smiled, his eyes containing a hint of concern for the princess. "You don't have to be perfect in order to be loved."

"W-Why do you say that?" Rose could feel her hands becoming more clammy as the silence hung over them, with Zarad looking at her as though he could read her mind. She wouldn't put it past him, he always knew what was on her mind.

"Oh, it's just something the gardener at the palace told me once. That happened after I murdered all the plants I was raising." Zarad chuckled, with the princess responding in kind. He knew that his beloved felt that she wasn't perfect enough to be her own person, that she didn't deserve much because she wasn't the personification of perfection. 

_'My desert rose, I hope one day you can see that imperfection can be the most perfect thing in the world…'_


	28. Observation (Revaire Widow)

Willow knew she was under observation, and not in a good way. Her actions would impact how the rest viewed Revaire, and the royal siblings made no attempt to hide it. The way Jarrod sneered at her as they crossed paths, the positively chill note to Gisette's smile, they all served as reminders to all Revaire delegates to be on their best behaviour. Even Clarmont, who was famously known to be part of the old blood's court, fell in line with the royal siblings' order. Willow didn't think much of it, she got the feeling that the lord had plans of his own and needed to play along in order to carry them out.

It wasn't just Revaire that was observing her. She was keenly aware that everyone else was too, including the chaperones. From her observations, she found out that Hise delegates thought of her as boring and a prude, save for Cordelia who was pleased with her etiquette. The warriors from Skalt whistled at her, an action that was supposed to be a compliment, Willow suspected.

Almost everyone from Arland looked down upon her, apparently disgusted by her status as a widow. Emmett and delegates from Wellin were much kinder, offering her their condolences for her late husband's passing. She wanted to inform them that she was much happier now that he was dead, but didn't wish to risk death. She was still under observation after all, no need to confirm the rumour that she had indeed murdered her husband.

Willow couldn't fully observe the impressions she had made on Corval delegates, they certainly lived up to their reputation as secretive and mysterious. Even Zarad, despite his shamelessly flirtatious nature, was practically unreadable. As much as she would've liked to say that she had success observing Blain, everyone knew that he was an open book and was little more than a foul-mouthed brat.

The delegates from Jiyel were interesting to say the least, their conversations with Willow consisted of awkward discussions of human nature and scientific knowledge. It supported her observation that they were not prepared for the summit, save for Avalie. She was kind, but Willow quickly realised that her kindness was just a front, similar to Gisette.

The welcome feast approached, and Willow was relieved that she was no longer under close observation. She still was, but at least it didn't have the weight of her sisters' lives. She couldn't afford to die, not when she had yet to reach her ambition, not when her sisters were still depending on her. The dinner was a tense affair, with silverware scraping against each other as everyone observed each other.

_'How I wish that these observations and plotting will stop… but I'm no better to begin with.'_


	29. Concern (Hise Pirate/Clarmont)

"This isn't something you need to concern yourself with." Ann said as she stood at the harbour, staring at the ocean beyond. Clarmont stood behind her, his lips pursed together as he crossed his arms with disapproval. "Don't worry about me, you should head back inside."

"You'll be cold, and I can't let the love of my life come down with a fever." Clarmont wearily responded, deciding that he should just accept that he wouldn't be able to dissuade the pirate from what she was about to do. Ann rolled her eyes, taking a few steps to get a running start. "Why do you want to do this anyways?"

"I'm a pirate, the sea's calling out to me. Maybe you'll hear it after I kidnap you." Ann shrugged, taking a deep breath. She ran towards the ocean, her footsteps thundering against the planks. She leapt into the dark blue waters below, creating a large splash. Clarmont sighed, he had hoped that he could prevent Ann from getting herself soaked to the bone. She surfaced, a joyous expression on her face as she waved at Clarmont. "C'mon Monty! The water's fine, and you need to get yourself wet with me!"

"I would prefer if my clothes remain dry, and I think the water is cold even though it's summer." Clarmont replied, shaking his head. Ann simply laughed, raising her hands up high as she waited for Clarmont to join her. "Maybe another time, when I'm dressed more appropriately."

"Aw, you're no fun. Don't concern yourself about responsibilities and jump in! I probably can't catch you though." Clarmont played along by giving the pirate a smirk, sitting at the edge of the harbour as he swung his legs. Ann splashed him with water, with Clarmont sputtering as the salty water got into his mouth. "Ahaha! You're soaked now."

"It's so salty. Is the sea really this salty?"

" _That's_ your concern? Oh Monty, you really crack me up." Clarmont chuckled, running through his hair as he tried to slick it back with the sea water. It resulted in his hair being messier than it already was, resulting in Ann laughing at the sight.

"Don't laugh at me Ann, I wish to remain presentable around your company."

"But it's a good kind of laugh!" Ann countered, climbing up to the planks. She regretted not removing most of her clothes, they were weighing her down since they were soaked. She sat beside Clarmont, creating a puddle beneath tthem. "I was thinking, when we leave this summit… are we going to live in Revaire?"

"I'm not sure, I can't abandon the people waiting for me. Then again, a life with you on the high seas sounds tempting." Clarmont replied, they had avoided talking about this particular matter of concern for weeks now, and he hoped to put it off for just a while longer. "Would you be strongly opposed to living with me on land?"

"I'm not sure… I like living on land, I did it with my father when my mother disappeared. But… I know that the sea's where my heart belongs. It's complicated, life's pretty complicated now that I'm here thinking about it."

"Then let's not concern ourselves with the future. Let's just focus on the present, freeing ourselves from our responsibilities."

"I never thought I'd hear that from you!" Ann pressed her lips against Clarmont's, pulling away after a few seconds. Clarmont's face was scrunched up, and the pirate laughed at the sight. "You better get used to salty kisses, it's gonna be a common thing once we sail together."

"... Looking forward to it."


	30. Obligatory (Jiyel Scholar)

"This process is obligatory." Hong rolled her eyes, how was _this_ obligatory? Did they not know the meaning of the word? How piercing her ears were supposed to be obligatory in any sense was beyond Hong, it was simply illogical. "Your female elders before you have done it, you should too."

"With all due respect, I fail to see the importance of this." Hong was a stickler for tradition, but even this was something she wasn't going to blindly follow. Traditions were in place for a reason, something that piercing ears didn't serve much purpose other than to look fashionable. She never thought she would be challenging someone, a man, over something petty. He shook his head, muttering curses under his breath.

"Hong, just do what you're told." Hong sighed, sensing that her father was beginning to lose his patience. Of course he didn't see why she was against this so-called obligation, he was a male, and males weren't obligated to pierce their ears. "It'll make you more desirable to men."

"Don't pressure her so much, she's just afraid of the pain." Her soft-spoken mother intervened, a rare sight. Hong knew that her mother was simply buying time, that she still had to go through with this obligation. Hong wanted to run away, but she didn't want to shame her family by doing so. Not only that, but she couldn't bring her library with her if she fled.

"... Give her five minutes." Her father relented, shooing the man out of the living room. Hong was surprised at herself, she didn't know she was able to rebel against traditions. No, she was simply against the idea that she found illogical. It wasn't a real tradition, and it shouldn't be. Her father turned to her, his eyes clouded with impatience and shame. "Hong, you _will_ have your ears pierced. Do not rebel against tradition."

"Father, what significance does this have?"

"The females in our family have done it, every single one of them. You're no exception."

"And why did the first female ancestor pierce her ears?" Hong asked, her father unable to answer. She was afraid of herself, who was she and why was she rebelling against something that was practically law? She didn't know, and it was too late to turn back.

"... You will pierce your ears, that's final." Her mother gave Hong a sad smile, an indication that acknowledged her attempt to challenge things and not blindly follow them. Hong held her tongue, nodding curtly at her father as he ordered the man tasked to pierce his daughter's ears to re-enter. "She's ready."

"Very well." The man bowed, carrying out his job on Hong's left ear. It was little more than a pricking sensation, though her left ear felt like it was burning once the job was done. He moved to Hong's right, and was met with the ugliest scowl Hong had ever given in her life. "I need to pierce your other ear."

"No, you don't. This obligation you speak of, it never once said that females need to have _both_ ears pierced." Hong replied, glaring at her father. Truthfully, she was scared of him. Her father may have never beaten her before, but she knew he could if he wanted to. Her father glared back, upset at his daughter's refusal to do what she was told. "I'm obligated to get an ear piercing, but they never said that I have to get more than one."

"You-!" Her father was purple with rage, seething at his daughter's sudden rebelliousness. Where had he gone wrong? He had taught her since the day she was born that traditions were meant to be followed and if someone said that she was obligated to carry out a duty, she was bound to it. His wife held him back, tracing circles soothingly on his back as she tried to calm him down. He did, only because he didn't want to shame the family any further. "Very well, you're done here."

"I understand." The man bowed sharply, exiting the room as quickly as he could. Hong's father loomed above her, his hazel-coloured eyes boring holes into his daughter. Hong stood her ground, not fazed by the shadow cast on her. Her mother watched from a corner, wishing she had the strength to intervene but couldn't.

"... Do not shame our family again."

"Don't worry, I'll be going back to our library." Her father sighed, exiting the living room with his wife following behind him. She gave her daughter a resigned smile, hinting empathy towards her situation. Hong groaned, she had just made her bed, now she had to lie in it. Her fingers grazed her pierced ear, wincing at its touch.

_'If I have to live with a hole in my ear, I might as well get an ear piercing that suits my taste…'_


	31. Joy (Jiyel Scholar & Wellin Countess)

Hong should be jumping for joy, she was finally leaving the summit and at the harbour waiting for a ship to send her back to Jiyel. She would return to her comfy library, tucked safely away from politics and getting played by others. Yet, she wasn't looking forward to returning. It was illogical, why was her current feelings contradicting her plans? Was she not ready to return home? She didn't know, it was an illogical situation without any answer.

"Hong!" Hong glanced up, watching Wellin's Countess of Holt running up to her. She didn't want to admit it, but she would miss the excitable countess just a bit. Following closely behind her was Lyon, who gave his fellow Jiyel delegate a curt nod to acknowledge her presence. "I'm going to miss you!"

"The feeling is fortunately not mutual."

"What are you going to do when you get back?" Hong shrugged, giving Selena an answer that was somewhat acceptable yet successfully hiding her inner conflict. The countess frowned, not satisfied with the answer given. "Surely there must be something."

"Ah, now I remember." Hong dryly replied, glancing at Lyon briefly. "I'm planning to seduce Duke Lyon while you're away."

"If that helps you two to get along, then why not?" Both Jiyel delegates had a look of pure horror on their faces, not expecting the countess to take it in stride. Lyon leant in, his face barely touching his beloved's.

"Please tell me that you're not serious."

"Of course I'm not! Hong's telling a joke, of course I've to respond in kind!" Selena replied, surprised that her attempt at humour went over the Jiyel delegates' heads. Both Lyon and Hong sighed with relief, the former not wanting to deal with potentially uncomfortable advances and the latter not wanting to seduce the duke to begin with. "But really, I'll love it if you two get along with each other."

"We get along fine." Lyon said, staring at Hong intensely. Yes, their stand on ethics were on polar opposites, but even _he_ had to admit that being immoral didn't mean that Hong was a horrible conversational partner. He enjoyed their debates over ethics, it helped to stimulate his mind while reinforcing his belief towards on the subject. Selena rolled her eyes, not believing Lyon's claim. "... Well enough to not murder each other at least."

"He has a point, he doesn't condone murder and the only thing I kill is my self-esteem." The countess had a concerned expression, forcing Hong to explain herself. "Another joke. Really, for seven weeks you've asked me to be more light-hearted and when I finally do, you react badly. Truly, you're hard to please."

"Both of you have a terrible sense of humour." Lyon grumbled, straightening his back such that he was standing at full height. "Anyways Hong, if you're not planning to return to Jiyel now, want to join me and Ann?"

"... I can understand a pirate kidnapping me, but a respectable countess from Wellin?"

"We're not kidnapping you!" Lyon smirked, a rare attempt to tease the countess. The countess crossed her arms, staring straight at Hong. "Ann wanted to travel before she goes to Revaire to settle her marriage with Lord Clarmont, and I've a few things to settle back home. I wanted to have some fun travelling, so I'm joining her. And since you don't look like you want to return to Jiyel…"

"Don't make assumptions about me." Hong replied, slightly ticked off that the countess could see through her. She did such a good job hiding it, so how did Selena realise that she didn't want to return to Jiyel for now? "Regardless of my feelings, I have a duty to return home."

"I guess, but don't you want to broaden your horizons? Learning about other countries first hand is definitely better than reading from biased books." Hong had to admit, the countess was making a good point. She realised that she had underestimated Selena, and she respected the countess slightly more. "Lyon, apart from books, do you want something sweet? I could probably convince Ann to stop at Corval to grab a few chocolates…"

"By 'grab', do you mean steal?" Selena frowned, how could Lyon even think that? The duke chuckled, smiling apologetically. "Forgive me, I forgot Jiyel humour isn't up to your standards. What I really want to ask is with regards to relations between Hise and Corval."

"It should be fine… I hope."

"We don't have to get him Corval chocolates, you can just get something from Wellin." Hong suggested, noticing a flicker of disappointment in the duke's dark eyes. She was surprised, she never knew that he had a sweet tooth. It didn't fit his image so it made sense to hide it, she thought. "Or we can stop by Arland."

"Oh yeah! They have these fluffy cakes that I'm dying to try!" Selena agreed, smiling brightly at her friend. Hong winced, not used to such optimism from people around her. "Maybe we can sneak something out from Lisle's wedding! I'm sure Penelope would help if I asked…"

"Don't drag Penny into this!" They turned around, with a Hise pirate approaching them. Selena tackled her into a hug, while Hong rolled her eyes at the exchange. Lyon shifted uncomfortably, wondering if he should make his way back to the harbour and wait for a ship bound for Jiyel to arrive. "Oh, is your future husband joining us?"

"Nope, he loves his library too much to have an adventure." The countess sighed, her eyes lighting up shortly after. "But Hong has agreed to join us!"

"... I'm honestly too tired to argue." Hong muttered, resigning her fate to spend months on board a pirate ship with a countess and her pirate friend. Lyon pitied her, he couldn't imagine surviving on the ship without the promise of books waiting for him somewhere. "I didn't expect you to fall for her though."

"Neither did I, given her nature. But…" Lyon had the ghost of a smile on his face, his heart filled with his love towards the Wellin countess. "... the idea of reading books together, having meaningful discussions together, celebrating festivals together sound… _acceptable_ if it's with Selena."

"The general must be jumping with joy now that you finally got yourself a wife."

"... He's leaving me alone to read, so I suppose yes." They stood on the sand with silence, a tense atmosphere hanging in the air. He didn't wish to make conversation, but he wasn't equipped with books to distract himself. "... What do you plan to do when you finally return to Jiyel?"

"Plotting the emperor's murder."

"I will take that as a joke." Lyon hoped that it was indeed a joke, he didn't wish to interact with the royal family anymore than necessary. "Are you considering getting a job?"

"Who knows, sometimes the most logical solution is to not have one." Selena finally broke away from Ann and went back to the two Jiyel delegates, with the pirate hanging back as she waited for her ship to arrive. "Countess Selena of Holt, I'm pleased to accept your invitation to explore the world as we know it."

"Ahahahaha! Hong, you don't have to be so formal with your friends!" Hong wanted to retort that no, even friends display some amount of etiquette amongst each other. She was dragged towards the pirate, who gave her a mock curtsy at her approach. "I believe you've met Ann?"

"... Aren't you the delegate that was hanging in the air during the theatrical?"

"The one and only, no thanks to Lena here."

"Hey! I told you to watch out for the fabric, you just didn't listen!"

"Storms and stars, how was I supposed to…" Hong sighed, tuning her future shipmates out as she left them to their bickering. She still wasn't sure if she was really going to travel with two women that she only knew for seven weeks, but it provided her an answer to her illogical situation. She didn't like the idea of abandoning her duty to return home to her family, but would it really bring shame to them? Emmett explored practically all the places known to man, and he enjoyed a reputation as being a marvelous explorer. She decided that despite everything she believed and was taught, she should travel around the world with people she considered tolerable. "Hong, whose side are you on?"

"Neither, does anyone have paper, ink and a quill? It's important." Lyon produced the mentioned items to Hong, with all three women giving him strange looks. Hong quickly broke out of it, dipping the tip of the quill into the ink bottle and scribbling words on the paper. Once she was done, she handed the items to Lyon, her hands stained with ink as she wasn't wearing her writing gloves. "I know this is below your duty as a duke, but please send this to my family. I don't think I'll be writing many letters for a while."

"... Very well." Lyon mumbled, examining the letter with interest. He would never invade anyone's privacy, but he was tempted to read it. Not because he wanted to know what Hong had written, but merely to satisfy his lust for reading materials. Once the ink was dry, he folded it up and marched towards the harbour, where a ship bound for Jiyel had finally arrived. He stopped, glancing over his shoulder and peering at the women through his smudged glasses. "... Safe travels. All of you."

"Don't worry! I won't kidnap your future wife!" Ann promised, waving as the duke continued marching towards the harbour, determined to return to his library. Once he was safely out of sight, she turned to face her fellow shipmates. "Okay! We're gonna stop at Hise first and I'm gonna introduce you to my father! He'll probably be happy to see someone from Wellin!"

"... Or he might wonder if you kidnapped a lovely lady and a Selena to be your brides." Hong quipped, sending Ann into boisterous laughter. The countess frowned in confusion, sensing that her friend was probably insulting her rather than merely teasing. "Let's go then, before I change my mind and take over your ship."

"That's… That's not a good thing right?" Selena asked, turning to her pirate friend. "What did she mean by that? Why do I get a category of my own?"

"A joyous challenge, how I look forward to it!" The pirate smirked, leading Hong towards the harbour while the countess remained ignored, confusion still present on her face.

"Hey! Someone enlighten me, what did Hong mean by that?! I'm plenty eligible even though I'm happily in love with Lyon!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter, I've successfully caught all 31 stars! Given the quality of my work, I shouldn't be proud of it but then again... I didn't burn my hands badly while catching the stars so I guess I'm slightly giddy with joy.


End file.
